Sometimes I am amazed by what I was reading when I was younger. I was a Jacqueline Wilson superfan from around Year Five onwards, and was regularly reading books about alcoholism, divorce, mental illness, sibling rivalry, bullying and teenage pregnancy. This kind of stuff would depress me very quickly today, but I just seemed to take it in my stride.
When I got a little older, Cathy Cassidy was my next port of call. Believe it or not I had, at a younger age, begun to read 'Indigo Blue' - but couldn't finish it because I had found it too upsetting. I know! ME! But, when I did finally psyche myself up to reading her books, I found them to be every bit as good as I had found Jacqueline Wilson's - they even had the hitherto unseen element of romance to them.
'Gingersnaps' is far and away the one I most enjoyed - I finished it in a matter of hours because I simply had to know what would happen next. It follows the story of the rather unfortunately named Ginger who, in primary school, was (for want of a better word) a nobody. Shy, unfashionable and friendless, Ginger resorted to comfort-eating simply to distract from the lonely life she'd found herself in. She became overweight as a result - which only made matters worse.
Then, as secondary school approached, Ginger's glamorous older sister Cassia mercifully intervened. She was going to give Ginger a complete image overhaul - Rocket Dog pumps, New Look skirt and fake-it-'til-you-make-it confidence. Her efforts weren't wasted - Ginger earned herself some suitably 'cool' friends - especially Shannon - and found herself, for once, high on the social ladder.
So it's all good and everyone's happy. But not for long, as Bob Hale might say, because Ginger is soon forced to decide whether it's better to be hated for what you are, or loved for what you're not. Are this so-called 'cool' crowd really as nice as they seem?
I suppose this book struck a chord with me because I read it early on in secondary school myself, and was desperate to shake off the prim-and-proper, goody-two-shoes reputation that had earned me the love of many teachers and fewer classmates in primary school. I grew out my baby fringe, rolled up my skirt and even wore these awful ballerina pumps that kept falling off my feet. All it ever got me was twisted ankles, because I knew in my heart of hearts that it wasn't worth it. I would always be me, so I decided to embrace it. Ginger was faced with a similar decision, and that was comforting for me. I rooted for her from page one.
Oh, and there's a romance element in there too. Some guy with floppy hair and blue lemonade and a houseboat. But who cares about him? It's Ginger we love!
I wholeheartedly award five stars to this, Cathy Cassidy's best novel, and highly recommend it to anyone who's ever felt out of place, felt they needed to be someone else, or just want a good read a la Jacqueline Wilson. That is, if you can handle the subject matter!