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Tuesday 6 August 2013

Don't Judge Me by Linda Strachan


review by Maryom

We all make snap judgements - about our friends, people we meet and other people's motives.
But what if we're wrong? And what if a life depends on getting it right?
Take 4 teens, an arsonist, an unreliable witness and four different motives. With life and death on the line - Don't Judge Me.


Linda Strachan certainly knows how to open a story with a bang - Spider started with crazy joy-riding; Dead Boy Talking with a teenager lying bleeding in an alley - and she's done it again here; a block of flats on fire and a baby having to be thrown to safety!
Now, I know The Mole has already reviewed Don't Judge Me  - though I'm still not sure how he got to read it first - but, as I'm off to see Linda Strachan at Edinburgh Book Festival, I thought it was high time I read this too.

It's a brilliant mix of whodunnit - as the reader sifts through the evidence to pick the culprit - and social commentary - challenging stereotypes and our inclination to label people at first glance.Against the background of the police enquiry, with an unreliable witness making snap judgements about who was responsible, the story unfolds from the points of view of the four teenage suspects. The reader is quickly and easily pulled into the story and soon learns that appearances aren't quite what they seem to be. 
Don't Judge Me is a great book for teens - either as a 'whodunnit' or a more thought-provoking read.


Maryom's review - 4.5 stars
Publisher - Strident Publishing
Genre - Teenage/YA, crime

Buy Don't Judge Me from Amazon 

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