There are so many other little side stories with the secondary characters that, even though subtle, are so heart-wrenching. Fans of Judy Blume, Kit Pearson, Susin Nielsen, Sharon Creech, and my books (if I can be so bold as to include my name on this list) will love dipping into Mira’s world. I believe that this book shows that everyone has their secrets and that some of those secrets have been bottled up inside of them for as long as they remember. It was so easy to relate to Mira and even though it was great writing… it did make me uneasy to remember how much of a loser I am. To be honest, at first look I wasn't expecting all that much - the cover seemed a little 'young' and the blurb just sounded average.

But for all of that, it isn't a grim book -- and there is always the sense that there are all of these other things going on and that they all make up "the rich tapestry" of life. As her beloved Nana Josie's health declines, Mira begins to discover the secrets of those around her, and also starts to keep some of her own. The framework of the book being a diary felt unnecessary to me and having the characters in a writing class seemed like a device just to get in some metanarrative. I thought the teacher who was giving extra lessons to some of the children at the school was a good attempt at showing how important it is to listen and support teenagers.However this shouldn't put anyone off reading this book if they don't think that this is what they want to read about. We follow the life of Mira Levenson as she tries to avoid spreading a simple secret about her mysterious love interest and the rest of her problems that every single woman had encountered throughout the whole book.

The Artichoke Heart charm Mira's grandmother gives her and what she experiences in just one month of her life, teaches Mira about the many layered secrets of the human heart. A beautiful, elegant tribute to love, difference and life; Artichoke Hearts is something really rather special. Sita Brahmachari has certainly made her mark in children’s fiction and I look forward to reading her next book.I became truly immersed in Mira's world and found myself caring for everyone through their troubles, wishing I could give them a hug! Over the course of the book her courage and confidence grows, as does her understanding of her place in the world. Winner of the Waterstone's Children's Book Prize, Artichoke Hearts by Sita Brahmachari is an incredibly insightful, honest novel exploring the delicate balance, and often injustice, of life and death – but at its heart is a celebration of friendship, culture, and life. This is a inspirational, touching and thought-provoking novel that will really stay with you after you turn the last page, whether you liked it or not. She is such an advocate for people to shake off their inhibitions, discover that their voice does need to be heard and to live life to the fullest.

This book doesn’t tread lightly around the inevitability of death and a lot of the passages are quite heavy going. I wasn't expecting this to be such a coming of age novel, but I'm so glad that it was - I was very impressed and will certainly be reading more by the very talented Brahmachari in the future. There was a huge range in the types of people with this book and I really felt like it showed what living in England and particularly near London is like today with multicultural societies. I liked to imagine that Jide is the mysterious loner boy in all these YA books only five years earlier.I would totally recommend this book for anyone looking for something cute to read and something really relatable to your own pre-teen life. Told from 12 year old Mira's point of view, Artichoke Hearts is a coming of age story focusing on a young girl's thoughts and feelings as she waits for her grandmother to die. Artichoke Hearts is a book that I had been meaning to get around to reading since I heard about it (which was quite a long time ago! Foi muito gostoso acompanhar as visões de uma garota de 12 anos sobre mudanças, amores e perdas ocorrendo ao seu redor por causa da pureza de Mira e da escrita, a união da família dela, a gentileza dos pais dela com os filhos e a ligação de Mira com a avó.