Mel by Liz Berry

• Reading level: Young Adult
• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (October 1, 1993)

Seventeen-year-old Melody Calder, a child of poverty and abuse, determines to change her life after her mother is institutionalized. She redecorates her London row house while working in an antique/junk shop, which she transforms into a profit-making business. At the same time, she turns the downtrodden and depressed local residents into lobbyists for their rightful social services and meets a rock star who falls in love with her. This novel has one of the biggest problems exhibited by a number of recent YA novels: too many of life's and society's problems crammed into one person's life. However, Mel's character commands respect; she is so likable that readers will identify with her and cheer her on. She's real--she makes mistakes but learns and grows from them. Her refusal to cave in to despair sets an example for her neighbors and readers alike

Condition :  Paperback torn otherwise fair
Selling Price : RM 4