Young Quills reviews

Imogen's review
I really enjoyed reading Hope is Our Only Wing by Rutendo Tavengerwei as it explored issues in Zimbabwe whilst following the intriguing story of Shamiso who is struggling with the loss of her father. I found the character Shamiso interesting as she represents how hard it is to adjust and deal with change, especially when communicating with peers when moving school in a new country. For me, Tanyaradzwa was an inspiring character as she battles with cancer whilst staying hopeful and trying to help Shamiso through her trauma. The book touched on the conflict in Zimbabwe and the effects it had on the population. After knowing very little about this part of history I have been inspired to research more about this period and how it has affected the life of Zimbabweans. I would recommend this book to other students as it follows an interesting storyline which provokes a range of emotions and inspires a curiosity of Zimbabwean culture.

Harry's review
Hope is our Only Wing by Rutendo Tavengerwei is about a 15-year-old girl called Shamiso. When her father died not long ago Shamiso made a new friend called Tanyaradzwe whose mother had died recently. They are both struggling with their loss and do not want anything else bad to happen but something did…This story is set in Zimbabwe where the author was born. Rutendo’s message to her readers is that “life is hard and hoping isn’t always easy, but it’s definitely necessary”.