Review: The Weight of Water by Sarah Crossan

Kasienka and her mother have moved to England from Poland, in search of her Tata. Her mother is broken-hearted, and Kasienka is lonely. She must cope with a new school, a whole new country, with bullying and with first love, with growing up and feeling alone, all by herself. Then she starts swimming, and finds a new strength…

Before I started this book, I wasn’t sure the poetry format would work. I was wrong. The book flows beautifully, the poems capturing snippets of Kasienka’s thoughts. There is a real sense of a lost and lonely girl charting her new experiences through her poetry. It isn’t fragmentary as I’d feared, but is a convincing and poignant account. I loved how Sarah Crossan laid out the poems and how she used words. It is a carefully written and wonderfully moving book. What I really liked about the tale was not the romance plot that is plugged by the blurb, but Kasienka’s own growth. She learns to be brave, and to stand up for herself. This is a really special book – a must read.

Sarah Crossan will be appearing at the CBI Conference on the 19th of May – the title of the conference is Rebels and Rulebreakers, it is easy to see how the innovative form of The Weight of Water fits in! Check out the full programme here: http://www.childrensbooksireland.ie/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/conference-flyer1.pdf

Also – The Weight of Water has been nominated for the CBI Awards! The judges say: “Moving and poignant, this coming-of-age tale is written in a verse narrative and portrays not only the fear and isolation felt by many young immigrants, but also the courage and resilience that is often needed for a young person to find his or her way in the world.” The winners of the CBI Awards will be announced on the 8th of May. For the full shortlist, and more information on the awards look here: http://www.childrensbooksireland.ie/the-cbi-awards/

Cathy Cassidy describes The Weight of Water as “Poignant, powerful, just perfect.” If you like The Weight of Water, try Cathy Cassidy’s Angel Cake, about Polish girl Anya’s move to Britain. She is struggling to fit in at school, but then she meets Dan a ‘bad boy’ wearing angel wings…