When the Ground is Hard, by Malla Nunn

     Wow! The first book I've read in a while that I simply could not put down! This is an OBOB book for the coming season, which is surprising as it seems to be an "older" book than I would pick for middle grade OBOB, at least when I first started reading it. When the Ground is Hard is author Nunn's debut book, and currently she has a second release (titled Sugar Town Queens, which I'll be sure to find and read!). She is a South African who moved at a young age to Australia where she currently lives. One of the things I loved about Ground is that it is obvious Nunn is not from the U.S. - her writing just has a different cadence, or rhythm, to it. It was a refreshing change of pace, and her writing is riveting! Honestly, when I wasn't reading I was trying to figure out when I could be reading again! Yep, this one is wonderful!

    This book tells the story of Adele, a mixed-race girl whose White father provides modestly for her and her Black mother. But because of apartheid laws in Swaziland, in southern Africa, where this story takes place, father and mother cannot live together, so Adele is raised by her mother while her father provides financially, but from another town, where he lives with his other (White) family. 

    Adele attends a Christian boarding school and usually is absorbed into the popular girls group. But in this new school year, she has been replaced in her girl clique, and finds herself rooming with a poor girl, Lottie, who doesn't follow the rules and likes to fight. The book is about Adele navigating race and class differences where she lives, but with many relevant issues that apply to people today, most anywhere in the world, which makes the book so good! Lottie is not what Adele thought she was, nor are the girls she used to hang with, but discovering all of that is challenging, and often hard.

    Treat yourself to this story! The writing is different because the author uses different descriptions and words than authors I often read. But that makes this book even better - it's fresh and new, and the descriptions will stay with you long after you put the book down. I hope the rest of the OBOB season is this awesome! 5 paws!