Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: Hidden
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: https://www.miriamhalahmy.com/
CITY: London, England
STATE:
COUNTRY: United Kingdom
NATIONALITY: British
http://anneclarkliteraryagency.moonfruit.com/miriam-halahmy/4574335211 * http://mirrorswindowsdoors.org/wp/interview-miriam-halahmy/
RESEARCHER NOTES: ADDITIONAL TITLES FROM BRITISH NATIONAL UNION CATALOG, ADDED BY SKETCHWRITER:
Title: Cutting pomegranates / Miriam Halahmy.
Subjects: English poetry — Women authors;
Publication Details: London : David Paul, 2003.
60 pages
Title:
Eye witness / Miriam Halahmy.
Author: Miriam Halahmy, author.
Subjects: Dewey: 821.914
Publication Details: London : Rafael Q Publishers, [2015]
Hidden / Miriam Halahmy.
London : Meadowside Children’s, 2011.
Physical Description: 34 pages ;
PERSONAL
Born in London, England; married; husband works in child protective services.
EDUCATION:Goldsmiths College, London, B.Ed., 1974; Middlesex University, M.A., 1995.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Secondary schoolteacher in London, England, for nearly thirty years; writer and writing mentor, 2005-. Facilitator of creative writing workshops, especially programs for asylum seekers; English PEN, consultant and facilitator.
AVOCATIONS:Travel, oceans.
MEMBER:Highgate Poets.
RELIGION: JewishWRITINGS
Also author of the pamphlet “Part of My Blood Lies There: Louis Zylberklang 1894-1942,” Rafael Q Publishers, 2007. Contributor of short fiction, poems, articles, and reviews to various periodicals.
SIDELIGHTS
Miriam Halahmy is known for young-adult fiction that shines a light on prejudice, alienation, and cultural difference. She describes herself as an Anglo-Jewish woman of Polish ancestry who married an Iraqi Jew from Baghdad. They speak six languages between them, have traveled widely, and have seen firsthand the toll that intolerance has imposed on innocent families around the world, especially the children.
Halahmy was a schoolteacher for more than two decades, notably in an inner-city borough of London, which became a refuge for Vietnamese and other asylum seekers in the 1980s. More recently she has witnessed the spread of intolerance across Europe and within the Middle East. Halahmy teaches writing classes and leads workshops for exiled writers and survivors of torture, among others. She has also reached out to like-minded colleagues in Spain, Germany, Turkey, and elsewhere, to share her message of peace and tolerance.
Secret Territory, Halahmy’s first novel, follows the lives of a multigenerational Jewish family from London in the 1940s to Israel in the 1970s. It is the story of Eve, whose Jewish parents settled in London after World War II. Deprived of her wished-for status of native-born Israeli citizen, she heads to Israel in 1975 to find her own way in the world and seek the facts surrounding a rumored family mystery. Eve goes to work on a kibbutz and later in a small village. Piece by piece she learns of her father’s role as an activist in the Zionist paramilitary Irgun prior to 1948 and of a brother she never knew she had. Adèle Geras, a reviewer at the Awfully Big Blog Adventure, suggested that Secret Territory explores “something most British readers know woefully little about: the beginnings of Israel and the way it was just after the [Yom Kippur] war in 1973.”
Hayling Island Cycle
Hayling Island is home to a bucolic beachside community off the center of England’s southern coast. Halahmy’s parents were longtime residents there, and she has visited the island for dozens of summer holidays. The island is also home to the fictional young people of the trilogy that she calls the “Hayling Island Cycle.”
The cycle begins with Hidden, when two young islanders stumble across a half-dead Iraqi refugee in the surf and drag him to the beach. Alix and Samir debate their next step. Alix is reluctant to become involved; she is already burdened with caring for a disabled mother and is worried about harboring an illegal alien. Samir is an Iraqi immigrant himself and urges her to help the injured man. In the end, they hide Mohammed in the woods and try to nurse him back to health. Alix is forced to face local racism—both blatant and unintentional—including her own. Critics pointed to various issues with the novel, including suggestions of the author’s own inadvertent stereotypical, quasi-racist descriptions. A Kirkus Reviews contributor acknowledged, however, that “this all-too-timely book means well,” and Leighanne Law reported in School Library Journal that Halahmy “pushes teens to consider all sides of the immigration issue.”
Illegal is the story of Lindy Bellows, a troubled teen from Hidden who, in Halahmy’s estimation, deserved more space. She explained to an interviewer at Books, Teens, and Magazines that she was intrigued by the challenge of characters “who start out as not very appealing.” Lindy’s parents have all but retreated from parenthood into a world of alcohol and gambling. Her oldest brothers are in jail. In a perfect world, Lindy would prefer to study and become a paramedic, but she feels compelled to take care of her younger brother. One older brother steers her toward a job, but it turns out to be linked to an international drug operation. Lindy feels trapped by fate until hope springs from an unexpected source: an odd, nonverbal schoolmate named Karl. Illegal generated mixed reviews. Robert James commented at the Bookbag that the “well-written gritty contemporary tale has enough action and suspense to make up for characters who, in the main, didn’t quite do it for me.”
Stuff showcases Jess, a teenager introduced in Illegal. She and boyfriend, Ryan, are just beginning to bond over a rock-climbing adventure when something unexpected threatens their future. Both of them are hiding horrible secrets. For Jess it is her father’s mistakes; for Ryan it is his own. Not all reviewers were convinced of the authenticity of Halahmy’s characters in this trilogy, but others commended her for tackling what an interviewer at Mirrors, Windows, Doors summarized as “major social issues: asylum seekers, bereavement, debt, dysfunctional families, intolerance, racism … as well as the yearning for love and for a future.”
Beyond the Island
Halahmy later ventured into the world beyond Hayling Island. In Behind Closed Doors, two teenagers with very different backgrounds intersect when they are thrust by desperation to deal with family secrets that they have hidden behind drawn blinds and closed doors. Josie’s single mother is a compulsive hoarder, and she is afraid that her home could be deemed unfit by child protective services. The teenager steers friends away from visiting and even sneaks showers at a local swimming pool. Then her mom is arrested for nonpayment of taxes, and Josie finds herself on the brink of homelessness. Tasha has a different problem. Her mother’s boyfriend has taken a creepy interest in her, and she flees to Josie for help. Both girls have been betrayed by the people they trusted to keep them safe, and they slowly learn to trust each other. Reviewers pointed to a few stylistic gaffes, but a Kirkus Reviews contributor called Behind Closed Doors “a book with its heart in the right place even if it fumbles the execution along the way.”
The Emergency Zoo marked Halahmy’s return to an earlier time. On the verge of World War II, British authorities actually advised London families to send their children to the countryside for their own safety—and to euthanize their pets before food became scarce. As many as 750,000 animals actually went to their deaths, purportedly to avoid a worse fate. In Halahmy’s fictional treatment of this historical directive, twelve-year-old friends Tilly and Rosy defy the law. They hide their pets in an abandoned hut in the woods. Other children hear about it and bring their own animals to the makeshift zoo. The plot takes on an air of adventure as the children devise secret codes and sneak out of their homes at night to care for their pets. In their search for people to care for the zoo after their upcoming evacuation to the countryside, Rosy and Tilly meet two Jewish refugee children who were saved from certain death in Nazi Germany by the Kindertransport rescue program. From them, the youngsters (and Halahmy’s readers) learn about the unsavory side of the war.
In School Librarian, Peter Andrews hinted that “Tilly and Rosy seem immature for their twelve years,” but other reviewers found much to appreciate. A reviewer at the Historical Novel Society Website called The Emergency Zoo “a warm and touching story of friendship, courage and loyalty.” Alix Long wrote at her Delightful Book Reviews blog that it is not only “a touching tale of courage, resourcefulness and camaraderie in desperate times” but also “a stirring defence of animal welfare.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, September 15, 2016, Diane Colson, review of Hidden, p. 51; April 15, 2017, Molly Horan, review of Behind Closed Doors, p. 48.
Kirkus Reviews, September 15, 2016, review of Hidden; March 1, 2017, review of Behind Closed Doors.
School Librarian, autumn, 2016, Peter Andrews, review of The Emergency Zoo, p. 168.
School Library Journal, August, 2016, Leighanne Law, review of Hidden, p. 101.
ONLINE
Awfully Big Blog Adventure, http://awfullybigreviews.blogspot.com/ (August 12, 2011), Adèle Geras, review of Hidden; (September 26, 2011), Rosalie Warren, review of Secret Territory.
Bookbag, http://www.thebookbag.co.uk/ (December 31, 2014), Robert James, review of Illegal.
Books, Teens, and Magazines, https://booksteensandmagazines.wordpress.com/ (March 10, 2014), author interview.
Delightful Book Reviews, http://delightfulbookreviews.blogspot.com/ (September 1, 2016), Alix Long, review of The Emergency Zoo.
Feeling Fictional, http://www.feelingfictional.com/ (May 11, 2012), review of Illegal.
Historical Novel Society, https://historicalnovelsociety.org/ (June 11, 2017), review of The Emergency Zoo.
Miriam Halahmy Website, https://www.miriamhalahmy.com (June 27, 2017).
Mirrors, Windows, Doors, http://mirrorswindowsdoors.org/ (October 3, 2014), author interview.
WRITING AND PUBLISHING
I write fiction and poetry for children, teens and adults. I have published short stories, poems, four novels and three collections of poetry, as well as an illustrated story for children who have cancer - Peppermint Ward ( Cancerbackup.) My work has been performed on stage, read on the radio, included in a wide range of publications and been translated into Korean, Arabic, Hebrew and Spanish.
CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOPS
I run creative writing workshops and have set up and lead workshops in Highgate Village at the Highgate Literary and Scientific Institution for several years. I am frequently invited to lead workshops in schools, colleges, universities, theatres, community groups, Literary festivals and conferences, in the UK and on the Continent.
ASYLUM SEEKERS
My special area of interest is asylum seekers. I am a consultant and facilitator for English PEN, (literature and human rights) on their workshop programmes for asylum seekers. I have also lead workshops and mentored through the Medical Foundation for the Victims of Torture and for Exiled Writers Ink.
WRITING MENTOR, EDITOR, INSET.
I am a writing mentor and have edited and supported developing writers to publication and success in novel competitions such as Mslexia and Undiscovered Writers. I also lead INSET for organisations such as the NHS in developing writing courses for clients with mental health issues.
PEACE AND TOLERANCE
I am active in promoting peace and tolerance and I believe that all divided communities can find ways to build bridges. I have worked across the Middle East divide, leading workshops and giving readings. More recently I have been working in a Paris lycée, supporting their EU funded project for peace and tolerance. I have lead workshops, including a day with sister schools from Spain, Germany and Turkey.
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Miriam’s Articles
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My new book, The Emergency Zoo.
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Publish dateFebruary 15, 2016
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Experience
Self Employed
Author and Writing Mentor
Company Name Self Employed
Dates Employed 2005 – Present Employment Duration 12 yrs
Location London, United Kingdom
Highgate Literary and Scientific Institution
Creative writing workshop facilitator
Company Name Highgate Literary and Scientific Institution
Dates Employed 2005 – 2015 Employment Duration 10 yrs
Location London, United Kingdom
Education
Middlesex University
Degree Name Master of Arts (M.A.)
Field Of Study Special Education and Teaching
Dates attended or expected graduation 1993 – 1995
Goldsmiths College, U. of London
Degree Name Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.)
Field Of Study History, Education, Social Studies.
Dates attended or expected graduation 1970 – 1974
Interview: Author Miriam Halahmy
3 October 2014 Interviews
MWD Interview - Miriam Halahmy
Miriam Halahmy is the author of the three YA novels that make up the Hayling Cycle, Hidden, Illegal and Stuffed. Her book Secret Territory, charting the physical and emotional journeys of two generations of a Jewish family in 1940s London and 1970s Israel, has recently been republished as an e-book. She has also written a comic-style information narrative for children undergoing cancer treatment, Peppermint Ward and contributed to short-story anthologies for children. Miriam is a long-standing member of the London-based Highgate Poets. Her most recent collection is Cutting Pomegranates, illustrated with sculptures by her brother-in-law Oded Halahmy.
Miriam is a consultant and facilitator for English PEN, running sessions with asylum seekers as well as providing training for groups wanting to set up creative-writing workshops. She also works with schools and community groups using both poetry and the Hayling Cycle, especially Hidden, to raise issues of peace, tolerance and human rights.
Hidden by Miriam HalahmyIn Hidden, which was nominated for the UK’s prestigious Carnegie Medal, narrator Alix and her school-friend Samir find a half-drowned Iraqi on the beach: Mohammed had been tortured and spent all his money to flee Iraq. Alix and Samir decide to hide him… Although most readers of Hidden will never face the kinds of decisions Alix has to make, her journey, as well as our ever-deepening affection for her and Samir, mean that readers will dig deep to think about their own prejudices and any intolerance assimilated unthinkingly from social pressures, the media etc. One aspect of the book that works well is the way it combines the big questions raised by the central plot with scrutiny of the kind of unthinking, uneducated racism that readers are likely to witness themselves, so that we are left questioning our responses on many levels.
It is wonderful to have Miriam here at MWD and to find out more about Hidden, as well as her many other projects. Welcome, Miriam!
What was your path to becoming a full-time writer?
I have written all my life but started writing classes in the 1990s and then began to get published – short stories, poetry, book reviews, articles. I published my first novel in 1999, Secret Territory (now on Kindle), while teaching full-time. It was only when I came out of teaching after thirty years that I really focused on fiction. I have been a full-time writer/workshop facilitator for six years now. So far I have published four novels, two poetry collections, short stories, a brief memoir and many articles, blogs and book reviews.
You are Anglo-Jewish and your husband is from the Iraqi Jewish community and was born in Baghdad. How has your and your family’s history and heritage influenced your writing?
I think that my background has been a great inspiration in my writing because it is so full of stories. I was born in London but I am from a Polish Jewish background and grew up in a swathe of languages including Yiddish, Hebrew and French. My husband speaks Arabic, Hebrew and English and so I have added Middle Eastern culture, food, languages and literature to my eastern European origins. The history and the stories are vastly different and so have enriched my writing enormously.
Did you already have all three stories in The Hayling Cycle lined up when you wrote Hidden?
No. As I was writing Hidden I became interested in Lindy Bellows, the bad girl and felt she should have her own book. She came from a dysfunctional family with criminal connections so I decided she should be drawn into the drugs trade. Lindy always knew she was better than most of her family and Illegal is about her plight and how she extricates herself.
But then I decided that two was the wrong shape. Three felt about right and the obvious choice for Stuffed was Jess. I was keen to write a romance.
The concept of my cycle is that a minor character in the previous book becomes the main character in the next, with familiar characters having walk on parts. But each book is a stand-alone story and can be read in any order.
The Hayling Cycle (Hidden - Illegal - Stuffed) by Miriam Halahmy
What were the challenges involved in separating and combining the characters’ lives? How did you ensure that the ‘facts’ were consistent throughout?
I did have difficulty keeping the facts consistent, particularly in the second book as it grew organically from the first. By the time I came to the third book I was much more careful in my planning and consistency and it was a much smoother ride. Fortunately I had written the first and second by the time I got my contract so I had time to sort out the glitches. I really enjoyed the opportunity to explore minor characters more deeply in this cycle and it is something I would like to try again. But with more planning before I start this time.
Hidden is narrated by Alix; Illegal is told in the third person, though very much through the eyes of protagonist Lindy; and Stuffed alternates between narrators Jess and Ryan – was it a conscious decision to make these shifts in narrative voice? How did they affect the way you approached your writing?
I was keen to try out different tenses and view points across the three books. If I’m honest, first- person present tense is my default voice for Y.A. But I wanted to step outside my comfort zone. I really felt that these different voices helped me to develop as a writer and also helped me to get inside my characters’ heads in different ways.
Within the scope of the cycle, you touch on <
In some ways that is almost impossible to say. How do I manage to create an authentic teenage voice across so many different characters? Perhaps that is part of the mystery of writing. It certainly works because all my readers – children, teens and adults – comment on how well I achieve the teenage voice. But I also think it is partly to do with the fact that I have an ear for languages, having been exposed to so many throughout my life. I speak French and Modern Hebrew, have a smattering of Yiddish and Arabic and ‘acquire’ bits of languages on holiday such as Italian and Russian. I think this ear for languages means that I tune in very quickly to accent, dialect, tone, slang, emphasis, whatever the age of my characters. Across the three books I have characters aged from 2 to 94 years. It is something which comes naturally to me.
In relation to dealing with such contentious issues, for me this is all about creating strong, three-dimensional characters whom readers want to commit to and follow through the book. I wasn’t trying consciously to ‘educate’ but to put my characters in the line of fire and see how they would cope.
Miriam Halahmy on Hayling Island
Miriam on Hayling Island
What has been the reaction to the stories from the books’ readers, especially on Hayling Island, the small island off the south coast of England (and connected to the mainland by a bridge), where the books are set?
I was quite nervous about taking my books to Hayling but I needn’t have worried. The Islanders love the books and love seeing their Island home described and playing the part of a character. They know all the places I use in my different settings and I have spoken at festivals and schools on the Island and in the area, and all the reactions have been very positive. People stop me when I’m walking on the beach and say, ‘Oh, you’re our author!’ The Hayling Island bookshop in the middle of the Island stocks my books and invites me to signings and events so it has been a very successful experience. ( Phew!)
Miriam Halahmy on a school visit to Hayling Island
Miriam on a school visit to Hayling Island
What research did you do for Hidden?
Massive research! I started to go down to the Island for weekends and sometimes for day trips. My husband also loves the Island so we booked a flat there for a week every summer. This really helped me to soak up the atmosphere, the changing landscape with the seasons and of course the ever-changing sea. I always read the local paper when I’m on the Island and walk around just talking to people.
More specifically, I researched the five ‘little ships’ which went to Dunkirk from the Island in 1940, and even went over one of them and took photos. A Dunkirk story appears in Hidden.
I did a lot of research into the facts and figures around asylum seekers and checked my material with experts in the field.
My husband’s family were a great resource for life in Iraq as they were all born in Baghdad and speak Arabic.
I love doing research and was still checking the Arabic in the book during final edits.
Can you tell us about your work with asylum seekers?
Miriam Halahmy at the launch of English PEN anthology 'The Wrestlers'
Miriam at the launch of English PEN anthology ‘The Wrestlers’
I have worked with asylum seekers since I was a teacher in Camden (London) in the 1980s. We had children from all over the world, including from amongst the Vietnamese boat people. However, in the past few years I have been running creative writing workshops through the Medical Foundation for the Victims of Torture and then through English PEN, specifically for asylum seekers. Writing can help the clients to deal with trauma; and through writing, they can explore their experiences and look at how their lives have been shaped.
I wrote Hidden in order to challenge a lot of myths about asylum seekers and to show that they are people just like us. Many young people write to me after reading the book saying that it has opened their minds to this subject. A school in South Africa has recently bought 30 copies of Hidden to use with whole classes and so has a school in Paris. I think that the book speaks to all age groups and opens a lot of doors.
You are also a poet and you run workshops about peace that focus on both Hidden and poetry. Can you tell us something about this?
This year I was invited to a Paris school to run workshops on peace and tolerance by Sarah Selbouh, English teacher. Sarah runs a programme in the school which is part of a European-wide project for peace together with schools in Spain, Germany and Turkey. She found me via my website because of my writing and because I have been involved in working to bring people together across the Middle East divide, promoting peace and tolerance. I have been invited back to Paris in October 2014 to work with a group of students from all four schools.
There is so much conflict in the world. I believe that we must always try to promote peace as the answer, along with tolerance, dialogue and reconciliation. War is not the answer. A well-written piece or poem can have a lot of influence. Working with young people in this field is enormously inspiring and I am very much looking forward to returning next month.
On your website you have pages devoted to Nelson Mandela and Janusz Korczak, including poems that you have written. What is it about these two beacons shining out against oppression that resonates with you, and how has that influenced your writing?
Miriam Halahmy presented with a poster of her poem dedicated to Janusz Korczak by Helen Bonney at the UK SCBWI Conference 2011.
A poster of Miriam’s poem dedicated to Janusz Korczak, presented to her by author Helen Bonney, who has set the poem to music (performed by Helen’s son on Miriam’s website)
Both Nelson Mandela and Janusz Korczak were living in extraordinary times in their separate countries and under regimes that were oppressive and specifically targeted their ethnic group. Both emerged as leaders who were prepared to die for the freedom of their people. Mandela’s story is well known but Korczak, while a hero inside his native Poland and to Jews around the world, is almost unknown otherwise. Korcazk was the director of the Warsaw ghetto orphanage and when the orphanage was liquidated in August 1942, he accompanied the orphans to their death in Treblinka. But he was already a famous man in Poland and, in fact, the Nazis told him that he could walk away from the deportation. He refused to leave the children.
I visited the orphanage a few years ago and wrote the poem which can be read on my website.
The lives of these two men have inspired me to write poems as well as think about how I want to live my life and the examples I want to set.
What are you working on at the moment?
I am redrafting a novel for 9-12 year olds, recently completed, which is based on an untold story of World War II.
And future plans?
I am putting together my third poetry publication, hopefully to come out at the end of this year.
Thank you so much, Miriam. Before you go, there’s just time to ask you a few more questions ‘In the MWD Spotlight’!
In the MWD Spotlight - Miriam Halahmy
The first book you remember reading as a mirror of you and/or your cultural background?
The Diary of Anne Frank. It was the very first time I read the thoughts of another Jewish girl my age. But of course Anne dies after the end of the diary. It would be nice to see Jewish kids appearing in books as just one of the crowd. Diversity is a hot topic these days. I have some Jewish characters in books I am currently working on.
Reading preference – paper or e-book?
I move between both quite happily.
The last book you read that opened the window onto a new-to-you cultural landscape?
The Dove Flyer by Eli Amir. The book is set in 1950s Baghdad and tells the story of why the Iraqi Jewish community had to leave. Eli Amir was a boy at the time and he describes the changes in Baghdad as like an ‘earthquake’. It’s an extraordinary book, which helps to understand modern Iraq, and beautifully written.
On holiday, lie on a beach or hike up a mountain (you may include any conditions necessary to your choice!)?
I walk on beaches (never lie) and paddle in the water, however cold. I love the horizon of the sea but I also love mountains and I used to rock climb (see Stuffed).
Initial ideas – notebook or computer?
My head – ideas often remain in my head for quite a long while, as they brew. Then I will turn to my notebook and only open my laptop when I am ready to start.
Miriam Halahmy - notebook with poppy on Hayling Island
Most personally precious object on or within one metre of your desk?
A small koala bear which Dad brought back for Mum from a work trip to Australia. Sadly my parents are no longer alive so their little mementos are eternally precious.
Something you have done or want to do because of reading a book?
Had another crack at rock climbing and managed a bit.
Something about yourself that might surprise even your friends?
I can stand on one leg for 30 seconds (well, the left one anyway – working on the right one).
A peep at what today’s work entails?
I am helping to construct a website for the committee which is raising the profile of World War I poet and artist, Isaac Rosenberg. I have been on the committee for a year. Also, I have huge edits to do for my latest book to get back to my agent for submission.
Miriam Halahmy
A former secondary school teacher and a poet, Miriam Halahmy lives in north-west London.
Miriam's middle grade novel, The Emergency Zoo, is published by Alma Books.
Her YA novel, Hidden, was nominated for the Carnegie Medal. Hidden and its sequels, Illegal and Stuffed, have received great acclaim.
Hidden and Miriam's new YA novel Behind Closed Doors are published in North America by Holiday House.
Find out more at
miriamhalahmy.com
About me
I write books and short stories for children, teens and adults. I also write poetry, articles and contribute to blogs. I have been writing all my life, since I could hold a pen, and I love to write in cafes.
When I was young my dream was to leave Earth's gravity.I haven't quite managed that yet.
But I love to travel and I collect oceans. I already have four out of the five oceans on Earth. An ocean is collected once I've paddled in it. In this photo I am in the Indian Ocean off Australia.
My collection includes the Pacific, Southern and Atlantic Oceans. I have yet to add the Arctic Ocean and complete the set.
I was a teacher for 25 years and taught all ages. I loved the buzz of teaching and the wonderful students I worked with.
Now I speak in schools about my books, in the UK and abroad. But the students are still just as individual and fascinating whatever language we are using.
Being an author means you get the chance to speak about your books in many different ways....
on TV...
... on radio...
... in bookshops...
...and even in a yurt on the South Bank... a wonderful event about Celebrating Sanctuary and I was introduced by Michael Rosen!
You can find out all about my books and my work including my New Publications 2016 on this website.
If you have any questions then Contact Me.
Enjoy my website and HAPPY READING!!
MARCH 10, 2014
Hidden, Illegal, Stuffed – author Miriam Halahmy talks about her writing
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Author Miriam Halahmy published her first YA novel, Hidden, in 2011. This was followed by Illegal in 2012 and Stuffed in 2014. Hidden was nominated for the Carnegie Medal, reflecting its powerful storyline and strong voice. Both Illegal and Stuffed are similar to Hidden: realistic, interesting, action packed and thought-provoking books. Despite the success of Hidden, the series almost failed to be published in its entirety when Miriam lost her publisher after the publication of Illegal. She is now with a new publisher, Albury Books, and has been busy promoting Stuffed. These books, known as The Hayling Island Cycle, will interest YA readers who enjoy real stories, with believable characters and plenty of emotion and action.
In this interview, Miriam discusses the Hayling Island Cycle and what inspired her to write. We are delighted that she has taken the time to talk to us and it is interesting to have a better understanding of the work that went into and created these excellent books.
hidden
The Hayling Island Cycle
In the Hayling Island Cycle books, you have captured the voices and lives of teenagers very well. How easy is it to do this and how do you do it?
I seem to be able to capture voices quite naturally and see it as one of my strengths as an author. In fact across the three books I have characters aged 2-94 but yes, most of them are teens. I have my antennae up and glean what I can from the voices around me. I also pick up ideas from newspaper article, TV and social networks. Just a snippet can give me a sense of a teenage voice and life and then I am quite good at imagining the possibilities around that tiny clue.
The books are all fairly action packed but the stories are more than just adventures, they are also full of information about sensitive but relevant topics – asylum seekers, drugs and teenage pregnancies. How important is it to you that your books should carry a message as well as being a good read?
From childhood I have had a strong sense of justice and social and political issues have always inspired my writing. But I don’t believe in just writing to inform or educate. The success of a good book lies in strong convincing characters which engage the reader and stimulate their curiosity. However, when I visit schools I am constantly amazed at how interested all age groups are in the issues I deal with and we always have very lively discussions.
illegal
The three books all have strong female leads – not perfect girls but girls who are willing to make difficult decisions and who want to make their lives better. It is refreshing to read about realistic female characters and to see that people can change if they want to – was this a clear intention on your part?
I am quite an instinctive writer and so these books developed organically. Certainly with Alix in HIDDEN I began wanting to write about an ordinary girl facing an extraordinary situation. But then I became interested in the ‘bad girl’ Lindy and decided to write a book for her, ILLEGAL. I wanted to see how she could develop the more positive sides of her character which are hinted at in HIDDEN. In the second book, Jess begins to emerge and then it seemed right to put her at the heart of the third book. With both Jess and Lindy I have girls <
Often the family life of your teen characters is chaotic and some of the father figures leave a lot to be desired. Yet despite the imperfections, there is invariably a sense that families will pull together and that there is love, even if it is expressed in a strange way. How important was it to you to show the reality of different family units?
There are such huge variations in families that I wanted to try to show as many different kinds of families as possible across the three books. I have worked with young people from a wide range of backgrounds and my husband works in child protection. So I have a lot of experience to draw on. Ultimately I have learnt that children and young people find it very hard to turn their backs on parents however problematic the relationship and I wanted to show something of this in my books.
stuffed
I was interested to read about the climbing weekend in Stuffed and I notice you used to rock climb too. How much research do you put into the books in order to ensure that they are true to life?
I do a huge amount of research partly because I love it and partly because it is so important to me that every detail is correct, as far as possible. I have had to research the very tricky tides around Hayling Island as well as returning to my rock climbing haunts of my student days; I have done a lot of historical research and walked miles over the Island to make sure my setting is as authentic as possible; I have studied words in Arabic and I have haunted motorbike shops. Research lies at the heart of my work.
There is a strong sense of place in the books and, from what I have read, Hayling Island is a special place for you. How much of what you wrote is from your memories or has the area changed since your childhood?
I never lived on the Island. My parents lived there for 25 years and I have been visiting the Island for 40 years. I really love it and go down regularly for days, weekends and also week-long holidays in the summer. The biggest change since in the past 20 years is the covering of the beaches with pebbles to stop erosion. Before that Hayling was famous for its golden sandy beaches and it really is a shame about the stones.
Where did you get your inspiration from – some of the topics you have covered have been in the press, but what makes you run with an idea?
I know that my idea has legs once my characters start talking to me. Then the whole plot comes alive, new characters appear and things happen!
General questions
You write poetry as well as books for primary aged children and teenagers. How important do you find poetry as a means of expressing your ideas?
I have written poetry and read poetry since childhood and words just naturally form into poems in my head. They are often a response to a new place or a change in my life and help to express my very strong feelings and passions about my life.
What books inspired you when you were growing up?
Mostly I loved realistic books about children like myself and how they coped with life. I loved The Secret Garden, anything by Louisa M. Alcott, anything by E. Nesbitt ( including the elements of fantasy), The Lion, The witch etc., because I really identified with Lucy and was desperate to have tea with Mr Tumnus, anything by Enid Blyton but especially The Famous Five. I also read all the Sherlock Holmes books, all the Agatha Christie books and lots of Charles Dickens. I love biographies of great musicians and well, pretty well anything else I could get my hands on.
From your website, I can see that you visit schools and libraries and attend conferences and festivals. Given your exposure to teachers, librarians, authors and readers, do you think that those voices in the press that express concern about reading levels and the death of the book are correct?
I think that the concerns about reading and books are very real but I have to say that I am always impressed in schools and colleges at how much the young people read and their delight in being introduced to new books. There are a lot of people out there working very hard to keep reading and books alive and I think their hard work is succeeding.
Finally, I know that Stuffed is only just out but have you any plans for another book or series?
I have recently completed a new novel about two teenage girls who for separate reasons are no longer safe at home and facing homelessness. I have a great idea for the next book after that but will keep it under wraps until I’ve written it. But they are two very separate books and at the moment I am not working on a new cycle or series of books.
Many thanks for your great questions and I really enjoyed the interview.
Miriam Halahmy
www.miriamhalahmy.com
Behind Closed Doors
Molly Horan
Booklist. 113.16 (Apr. 15, 2017): p48.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
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Behind Closed Doors. By Miriam Halahmy. Apr. 2017. 208p. Holiday, $ 16.95 (9780823436415); e-book, $16.95 (9780823437924). Gr. 9-12.
Josie and Tasha, two almost-16-year-old classmates running in totally different cliques (or in Josie's case, no clique at all), have more in common than they think. Josie's house has always been a nightmare maze of the junk her mother stacks floor to ceiling. Tasha's home has just started feeling unsafe, as creepy looks from her mother's younger boyfriend have multiplied. When Tasha ends up on Josie's doorstep, looking for a place to stay, new people and perspectives force them to consider alternative futures for themselves. Halahmy's (Hidden, 2016) novel is a compelling read for the high stakes and heavy topics it addresses alone. The protagonists' struggle to reconcile their love for people who keep disappointing them, as well as the idea that the one place they thought they should be safe isn't a haven, rings true. Sometimes the dialogue feels awkward and forced, making the interactions read like an after-school special. Still, this quick read is one that will stay with readers long after they finish the last page.--Molly Horan
Halahmy, Miriam: BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
Kirkus Reviews. (Mar. 1, 2017):
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC
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Halahmy, Miriam BEHIND CLOSED DOORS Holiday House (Children's Fiction) $16.95 4, 30 ISBN: 978-0-8234-3641-5
Two British teens struggle to stay off the streets.Fifteen-year-old Josie's mum is a hoarder. Their house is filled to bursting, and because of this, Josie never has friends over, she showers at the local swimming pool, and they can barely make ends meet. When she comes home one day to discover her mother has been arrested for failure to pay taxes, Josie's already-chaotic world is turned upside down. Things only become more unsettled when that same night her classmate Tasha comes pounding on her door. Tasha's mother's boyfriend has become increasingly predatory, and she's fled to the only address she can remember: Josie's. They make an odd pair, but their mutual anxiety to stay off social service's radar ties them together. Josie's and Tasha's alternating first-person narrations often feel authentically teenage, with a few notable exceptions. The teens' texting habits, including full punctuation and signed with initials, won't be familiar to most American teenagers, and Tasha's desire to keep her vlog (a concept she has to explain to her friends), published directly to the internet, private from any possible viewers feels very unlikely. White Josie's biracial (Japanese/white) boyfriend is repeatedly given the descriptor of "almond-shaped eyes," while white Tasha frequently refers to her black best friend-turned-maybe-crush with possessive diminutives, as in "my little Dom"; neither habit is interrogated. <>. (Fiction. 12-16)
Hidden
Diane Colson
Booklist. 113.2 (Sept. 15, 2016): p51.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 American Library Association
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Hidden. By Miriam Halahmy. Oct. 2016.224p. Holiday, $16.95 (9780823436941); e-book, $16.95 (9780823437221). Gr. 7-10.
As the sole caretaker for her helpless mother in their insular island community in England, angry 14-year-old Alix feels abandoned. In school, Alix learns about people who seek asylum in Great Britain, but it barely penetrates her self-absorption. This changes, however, when she witnesses the cruelty of her classmates to Samir, a newcomer to the island and obviously foreign. When Alix and Samir drag a bloodied man out of the sea, realizing that he is an illegal refugee, they hide him in a small hut and try to secretly nurse him back to health. Although the story is firmly from Alix's point of view, the author introduces issues of global importance. How does a nation balance compassion for innocent refugees against the fear of allowing terrorists easy entry? Through Alix's eyes, readers get a lesson in the reasons for the surprising Brexit vote, as well as the inflammatory issues surrounding immigration in the U.S. For other viewpoints, try Jamila Gavin's See No Evil (2009) or Maria E. Andreu's The Secret Side of Empty (2014).--Diane Colson
Miriam Halahmy: HIDDEN
Kirkus Reviews. (Sept. 15, 2016):
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Miriam Halahmy HIDDEN Holiday House (Adult Fiction) 16.95 10, 1 ISBN: 978-0-8234-3694-1
A British teen comes face to face with anti-immigrant xenophobia. It’s 2007. Alexandra “Alix” Miller is nearly 15 and admittedly “Number One Nerd in Year 10” when she diverts town bully Terrence Bellows from harassing Samir, an Iraqi refugee new to her school. But Terrence isn’t alone: many people on Hayling Island say and do Islamophobic things, from Alix’s classmates and her boss to her best friend; even Alix herself thinks of Samir and his brother, Naazim, as “foreign,” worries they might be “terrorists,” and jokes that Samir’s a “suicide bomber.” Alix’s opinions—and Samir’s affection—shift as they rescue Mohammed, an undocumented Iraqi immigrant escaping torture and seeking asylum, from drowning and hypothermia, then strive to keep him safe. Unfortunately, in her efforts to bring understanding to Britain’s immigrant crisis and the country’s role in the Iraq War, Halahmy (whose husband is Iraqi) indulges in other stereotypes, such as the broken English of Samir’s Chinese neighbor. Even more unfortunate in a book specifically about cultural awakening, only people of color are described explicitly; all other characters, including narrator Alix, are assumed to be white, an assumption that undercuts the book’s effectiveness and limits its reach. While Alix eventually works to address her cultural cluelessness, her proprietary actions with Mohammed have a whiff of the white savior about them. <
Halahmy, Miriam: The Emergency Zoo
Peter Andrews
School Librarian. 64.3 (Autumn 2016): p168.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 The School Library Association
http://www.sla.org.uk/school-librarian.php
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Halahmy, Miriam
The Emergency Zoo
Alma, 2016, pp300, 6.99 [pounds sterling]
978 1 84688 397 2
At the outbreak of war in 1939, people decided to have their pets put down, thinking that this would be the kindest thing to do in the light of the presumed effects of bombing raids on animals, let alone humans, probable food shortages and the difficulties of feeding the animals. Thousands of pets were destroyed. Twelve-year-olds Tilly and Rosy decide to hide their own pets, having established a den in some woodland. Soon they are joined by other children desperate to keep pets alive. Attempts to house and feed the animals are complicated, as parents must be kept in the dark. Further, the children are about to be evacuated: who will look after the animals then?
Based upon a little-known event, when animals were destroyed, the novel is complicated. Serious issues are raised: adults still living with the effects of the previous war; grief at death or separation a Jewish boy saved through the Kindertransport system is traumatised by separation from his parents who are trapped in Germany--animals die, their bodies piled high awaiting cremation; poor families starve; a child is obviously abused by his father still in shock after the death of his wife. At the same time, the story reads as if, for many of the children, the saving of the pets is something of an adventure--having a secret den, using coded messages, camping out overnight (without parents realising). And this is the difficulty: both <
Halahmy, Miriam. Hidden
Leighanne Law
School Library Journal. 62.8 (Aug. 2016): p101.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 Library Journals, LLC. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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HALAHMY, Miriam. Hidden. 224p. ebook available. Holiday House. Sept. 2016. Tr $16.95. ISBN 9780823436941.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Gr 6-9--When teenager Alix and her new friend, Samir, see a man tossed out of a speeding boat into the churning waters off the coast of their small English island, they leap into the strong current to pull out the battered man. When they realize he's an Iraqi refugee seeking asylum, Alix is hesitant to help him, but Samir--who himself was once a refugee fleeing Iraq--begs Alix to help harbor the stranger. Over the course of the novel, Alix confronts her own perceptions and prejudices, as well as those of her friends, family, and neighbors. Her development from a self-involved child to a broad-thinking and selfless young adult is gradual and realistic, with Alix making plenty of mistakes--and actually learning from them--along the way. The writing is simple and straightforward, and though it won't challenge strong readers, this novel will appeal to younger teens as well as to reluctant readers. VERDICT An engaging, fast-paced story that <
The Emergency Zoo
BY MIRIAM HALAHMY
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It is 1939 and Britain is about to go to war. Twelve-year-old Tilly and her friend Rosy spend the school summer holidays making a secret den and playing with their beloved pets, a cat and a dog. To their horror, the Ministry of Home Security advises people to have their pets destroyed, fearing they will not be able to cope if Britain is bombed. Desperate to save their pets, and defying their parents, Tilly and Rosy hide them in the den. Word gets around and other children bring their pets to the hut, and the Emergency Zoo is born. But the zoo brings its own problems. The girls are about to be evacuated, and they have to find someone to care for the pets. Tilly comes up with a daring plan which might just save the animals’ lives, and with the help of Rosy and the new friends they have made from the zoo, she puts it into action.
The Emergency Zoo is based on a little-known historical event, when around 750,000 pets were destroyed at the start of the war. Tilly and her friends find themselves in a strange new world of air raid shelters, blackout blinds and barrage balloons, and they start to face the reality of what is happening to people in Germany. They befriend two Jewish refugees, and their story is told with heart-breaking clarity. There is no neat, happy ending to this story, but it does end on a hopeful note that at least a few of the many doomed pets will be safe. Europe is on the brink of tearing itself apart, but the children’s war is a smaller and more personal one. Miriam Halahmy has written a warm and touching story of friendship, courage and loyalty. A lovely and moving book. Highly recommended for 10+.
Thursday, 1 September 2016
DELIGHFTUL KIDS BOOKS | 'The Emergency Zoo' by Miriam Halahmy (****)
Hello readers, and Thursday! Today I am very excited to share with you a brand new feature I have been working on over the last few weeks - a children's books feature - Delighful Kids Books!
Every Thursday throughout the month of September I will be spotlighting a children's book and giving it a review, along with a little description of the book and who I think might enjoy it - so if you have little people in your life, you can decide if they might enjoy it too. I'm not that experienced in blogging about kids books, so I'm just going to have a go and see if it works. If this feature proves to be popular then I might just turn it into a regular feature, so keep your eyes peeled ;)
Even when I was little I was a ferocious and dedictaed reader, and kids books are some of the best reads out there, even for us adults. In this weekly feature I want to talk about the classics that are everyone's favourites (and should be on every kids bookshelf!) and new releases that I don't want you to miss out on. I hope you enjoy!
For the very first Delightful Kids Books feature, I want to spotlight a fantastic kids book released in May this year:
The Emergency Zoo by Miriam Halahmy. The Emergency Zoo is a gorgeous book about friendship, resilience and bravery, set in the chaotic and fearful atmosophere of the Second World War. Twelve-year-olds Tilly and Rosy have to adjust to unexpected and unwanted changes to the comfortable lives they are used to, but then their world is shattered when they learn that the government is ordering for every pet to be put down by the vet. Tilly and Rosy decide to take matters into their own hands, but what trouble will their bravery cause them?
I was kindly sent The Emergency Zoo by Alma Books in exchange for an honest review :)
Intrigued? Check out the blurb here...
When the war comes, who will save the animals?
It is late August 1939: Britain is on the brink of war, and preparations are under way to evacuate London’s children to the countryside. When twelve-year-old Tilly and her best friend Rosy find out that they will not be able to take their beloved dog and cat with them – and that, even worse, their pets will, along with countless other animals, be taken to the vet to be put down – they decide to take action. The two girls come up with the idea of hiding them in a derelict hut in the woods and, when other children find out and start bringing their rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters, their secret den turns into an emergency zoo.
Inspired by real events during the Second World War, Miriam Halahmy’s novel is <>, as well as <>.
When I was younger I loved reading books about World War Two - Private Peaceful, War Horse, The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips, Goodnight Mr Tom just to name a few. Therefore it was great to be able to read another middle-grade World War Two novel, after having gone through seven years of school and one year of university, knowing a lot more about the history of World War Two than I did when I first read these kind of books.
The Emergency Zoo is a beautifully written book and I was immediately sucked into the story and intricately described world of the characters before the end of the first chapter. The writing was accessible for children and yet not patronising, and the dialogue was also incredibly enjoyable to read.
The story was told through the perspective of the protagonist Tilly, which made for a fantastically told story with the innocence and heart of a child. I in particular loved her relationship with her best friend, Rosy. Both girls were really well written as courageous, intelligent girls with a fierce sense of dedication and responsibility towards their own pets, and the people around them. There was a huge sense of adventure in this book, which added to the historical context the story was set in, which would no doubt make a child who was reading it be interested in learning about the Second World War.
Along with the fantastically paced, beautifully written story, there were also important issues and themes running through the book. When Tilly befriends two Jewish children, who have been sent to England on the Kinder Transport, Tilly not only protects them against bullies as the other children denounce them as 'not one of us', but also has an important conversation with her parents as they explain to her that the Jews in Germany are treated horrifically and that they are not fighting the war against them, they are fighting the war against Hitler. I think that Halahmy did a great job of including vital moral issues into the story, which are such an important part of a child's understanding of World War Two. There were so many parts in the book that almost made me well up - there was so much heart and emotion included in the story, with the unwavering hopefulness of a child.
Overall, I loved The Emergency Zoo and would recommend it to children aged 9 and up - I thoroughly enjoyed it as a nineteen year old - so there is no reason why you won't!
Keep an eye out for the next Delightful Kids Books feature next Thursday :)
Buy The Emergency Zoo here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Emergency-Zoo-Miriam-Halahmy/dp/1846883970
Check out Miriam Halahmy here: http://www.miriamhalahmy.com/
Friday, 11 May 2012
Review: Illegal - Miriam Halahmy
If Jemma had lived, none of this would have happened. I'd have been too busy to get dragged into this filthy, illegal business . . .
Since Lindy's baby sister died, her family have been caught in a downward spiral. Her brothers are in prison and her parents have given up. Soon Lindy is out of her depth too, caught in the centre of an international drugs ring, with no way out. Then Lindy finds help from an unexpected ally: weird, mute Karl from school, and together they plan a daring and desperate escape. But when you're in this deep, can you ever be free?
Touching, surprising and painfully honest, Illegal is the second in a cycle of three novels by Miriam Halahmy, and the follow up to her acclaimed first novel, Hidden.
Hayling Island Series:
Hidden
Illegal
Stuffed (March 2013)
Visit Miriam Halahmy's website for more information
Review:
Ever since Jemma died Lindy's family has been falling apart - her mum has lost her job and started drinking, her dad spends his time gambling away the little money they have and her older brothers are both in the young offenders institute. Lindy is trying to hold things together for her younger brother Sean but quickly finds herself in deep trouble. Offered a job by her cousin she sees it as a lifeline but soon ends up caught in an international drugs ring completely unable to see a way out. Sometimes help comes from the most unlikely sources though and when she befriends the school outcast, a mute boy called Karl, she begins to feel hopeful that she might escape.
Illegal is the second book in Miriam Halahmy's series set on Hayling Island but each of these books can be read as a stand alone novel as there is no cross over of story lines. I haven't read the first book Hidden yet but I enjoyed Illegal so much that I'm definitely planning on picking it up soon and I will look forward to reading Stuffed when it is released next year.
Illegal touches on some difficult topics from poverty, neglect and grief through to the drugs trade that brings Lindy into contact with some pretty shady characters. These subjects are tackled with realism and sensitivity though and show just how easy it is for someone to be drawn into something without realising how far reaching the consequences will be. Lindy comes from a problem family and nobody has ever expected much from her, after the death of her baby sister everything gets much worse but Lindy falls through the cracks and doesn't have anyone on her side to help her. She gets pulled into her cousin's world of dodgy deals and drugs because she is trying to earn some money for food for herself and her younger brother Sean. What she really wants is to study hard and train to become a paramedic but her circumstances force her into a different direction. It is so easy to feel sorry for Lindy but you have to admire her too, not for the trouble that she has got herself into but for her determination to find a way out.
I loved the relationship between Lindy and Sean, you can see how much he looks up to his older sister and the way he worries for her is really sweet. She does what she can to protect him even though he annoys her like any younger sibling often does. They are both devastated by the loss of Jemma but also from the loss of their older brothers to the young offenders institute. Garth in particular has always looked out for the pair of them and Lindy feels as if he has abandoned her when she needs him the most. It was hard to have sympathy for Garth as I felt he was old enough to know better than do what he did but he was also struggling with his grief and from the lack of proper parental supervision and he did the best he could in the circumstances. At first I felt like he'd set Lindy up but he comes through for her in the end and you get to see how much he really cares for her. The whole Bellows family are crying out for help and you just end up wishing they'd been given it sooner.
Karl was another great character, he has also suffered the loss of someone who he cares about so he understands what Lindy is going through. Their backgrounds may be very different but there is a connection between them and they each help the other learn how to cope. Karl's way of dealing with things has always been to shut others out, he lost the ability to speak and stopped communicating with anyone at school or home. It takes Lindy's fierce attitude to bring him out of his shell and I enjoyed seeing the changes in both of them as they get to know each other better. Theirs is a sweet relationship and one that gives them both a lot of comfort.
Illegal is at times a heart wrenching read but it is a book I would highly recommend. It may even make you think differently about that annoying family that lives down the road and is always causing trouble - what happened in their lives to make them behave that way? This may be the first book I've read by Miriam Halahmy but it definitely won't be the last and I'm looking forward to continuing this series.
Source: Received from Meadowside Fiction in exchange for an honest review
Other reviews of this book:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.
Illegal by Miriam Halahmy
Illegal by Miriam Halahmy
Category: Teens
Rating: 4/5
Reviewer: Robert James
Reviewed by Robert James
Summary: <
Buy? Yes Borrow? Yes
Pages: 288 Date: March 2012
Publisher: Meadowside Children's Books
External links: Author's website
ISBN: 9781845395247
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Lindy’s life started to fall apart when her baby sister Jemma died. With her parents gambling and drinking, and her younger brother needing her to look after him, she’s desperate to hold the family together. So when her brother Garth, who’s in jail, manages to set her up with a job working for her charming cousin Colin, she thinks it’s a great opportunity. Then she finds out, though, that Colin’s business isn’t what it seems, and she’s quickly caught up in a nightmare cycle of drugs and threats… can she find the strength to stand up for herself, helped by the strange and reclusive mute boy Karl?
Illegal is the second in Miriam Halahmy’s Hayling Island cycle. I haven’t read book 1, Hidden, but it was easy enough to follow this book without doing so. I enjoyed it and there’s no question that Halahmy is an author who can deal with some tough, hard-hitting issues, and keep things realistic. She also created a really compelling character in Karl, going through his own private issues. I was slightly less keen on Lindy, to be honest. Even taking into account her family problems and her grief at her sister’s death, she seemed to be slightly too naïve and passive for much of the novel for me to fully sympathise with. Similarly, some of the supporting characters did little for me, with Colin in particular feeling like a generic villain.
That said, there’s still a fair bit to like here. Halamhy builds the tension really well, especially towards the end, and should be applauded for her willingness to tackle the themes of drug dealing and loss. I also found it really unpredictable as to how things would finally end up – it’s certainly not a book where you can be confident that everything (or even anything!) will be alright in the end. I’ll definitely be checking out the other two books in the Hayling Island cycle in the hope that Halamhy’s taut writing style is married with a central character I find more appealing.
Recommended to fans of gritty contemporary fiction.
Monday, 26 September 2011
SECRET TERRITORY by Miriam Halahmy Reviewed by Adèle Geras
(The yellow cover is the one on the copy I have. The other cover is what I found on Amazon. I thought it best to show both.)
Miriam Halahmy is best known as the writer of HIDDEN which came out last year and which tells of the adventures of a teenage girl who rescues an illegal immigrant washed up on Hayling Island. This novel is for adults but there's nothing in it that would be unsuitable for younger readers and I think a great many of them would greatly enjoy it.
This is the story of Eve, who is dropped by her Gentile boyfriend for being Jewish. "It just wouldn't work," he says to her. She is devastated. She goes to Israel both for the traditional 'finding herself' reasons and to get away from everything that's familiar to her and also because there is in her family history a certain mystery.
Eve feels that she ought to have been born in Israel and blames her father and mother for coming back to England and preventing her from being a 'sabra': a native-born Israeli.
She goes to work on a kibbutz (communal farm) and also on a moshav (a small village, basically) in the Golan Heights. We are in the 1970s, after the Yom Kippur War and the Golan Heights were captured from the Syrians in the 1967 Six Day War.
As a counterpoint to this narrative is the story of Eve's father who was involved with the Irgun during the run-up to the setting up of the state of Israel in 1948. The Irgun is the name of a militant grouping which was responsible for, among other things, the blowing-up of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem. Their aim was to get the British, who had a Mandate at that time over the whole of Palestine, out of the territory.
It's a fascinating time in history...or actually TWO fascinating times...and Halahmy conveys well the emotions of everyone involved with the turbulence. The shadows that the past casts over the present are vividly demonstrated as are the difficulties of knowing even your own history properly. Eve finds out that she had a brother whom no one had ever mentioned to her before. Everyday life in Israel is accurately depicted, and we meet a great many different characters who are all well fleshed-out, but it's the main characters,Eve in the 1970s and Jack and Deborah in the 1940s, with whom we must identify.
The events of the novel occur before the rise of the PLO and before the Intifada and in any case, the difficult situation of the last four decades or so is not what concerns this author in this book. Anyone reading it will enjoy discovering much more about <
Pub: Bookchase pbk
ISBN:9780754400646
Price: £7.99
Friday, 12 August 2011
'Hidden' by Miriam Halahmy - reviewed by Rosalie Warren
In creating this review, I'm struggling to stay in the voice of a slightly stodgy middle-aged reader, who normally expresses herself, at least when writing reviews, in measured, mature, Radio 4-like prose!
No, I'm sorry. Miriam Halahmy's Hidden is fabby, awesome, brilliant and cool. It rocks. It ... er ... well, that's all the teenage idiom I can lay hands on for now. But the point is that my 12 or 13-year-old self (never far below the surface) loved this book, as did the older me, and you can't ask for more than that.
What's it about? Halahmy's narrator and protagonist is called Alix. She's 14, she's a talented runner and she lives on Hayling Island, a place I'd never come across before but am now determined to visit. Alix's dad has left them for 'Gorgeous Gloria', aka 'the Gremlin'. Mum has recently lost her own father and broken her leg, and appears to be suffering from depression.
Alix battles on as best she can, missing her dad and granddad, relying on her dog and her best friend, Kim, for company and support. But Kim is getting caught up in her music and her new boyfriend, 'Trumpet Steven'. And it's hard work for Alix, looking after Mum and the house, doing an early morning paper round in the freezing winter mornings to help Mum with the bills, and trying to keep up with her homework and training as well.
All Alix needs is a further complication to her life. But that arrives when she and her new friend Samir encounter an asylum seeker named Mohammed from Iraq - deposited offshore, half-dead from cold, hunger and his dreadful wounds.
What can they do? Alix and Samir find shelter for Mohammed and hide him from the authorities, taking him food, hot water bottles and flasks of coffee every day. Are they doing the right thing? Samir and his brother think so, and they've been refugees too, so they understand. But what would Alix's mum say if she knew? How would the police react? And how will Alix and Samir deal with the bullying racists in their class at school?
Alix is a marvellous heroine - an apparently ordinary girl who turns out to have enormous reserves of courage and strength, yet who tells her story with disarming honesty and some wonderful touches of humour. Hidden raises questions about refugees and asylum seekers and the way they are treated by our society. Racial prejudice in both adults and youngsters is presented in all its ugliness - and Alix herself learns not to judge by appearances.
As an adult reader I felt humbled by the depths of compassion and understanding in this book, written by an author who has worked for many years with asylum seekers and refugees. It's a novel that will stretch the minds of readers of any age, encouraging us to look beyond our everyday concerns to the needs of those on the outer edges of society.
This is a thrilling and enjoyable read, perfectly capturing the voice of a 14-year-old girl, in a way that goes deeper than mere teenage vernacular. The descriptions of Hayling Island (look at the opening to Chapter 13, for instance) are superb - yet they come naturally from the pen of Alix herself.
Congratulations, Miriam Halahmy and Meadowside Books. I'll be waiting eagerly for the next two books in the series, which are due out soon.