The Stories Grandma Forgot (and How I Found Them)

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What to expect

From an award-winning poet comes a gripping mystery. "Grandma Farida has Alzheimer's - but I'm going to help her remember a huge secret..."

Twelve-year-old Nyla's dad died when she was four, or that's what she's been told. So when Grandma Farida insists she saw him in the local supermarket, Nyla wonders if Grandma is simply "time travelling" again - the phrase she uses when Grandma forgets.

But Grandma is Nyla's best friend and when she asks Nyla to find her dad and bring him home, Nyla decides to make a brand new promise to her Grandma: to find him.

As Nyla turns detective and sets out on a journey through her family's past to try and find the truth, she also hopes that uncovering important stories will help her understand who she is, and where she fits in the world ...

A riveting audiobook in verse about the power of memory and story-telling, and an unbreakable bond between a grandmother and granddaughter.

(P) 2023 Hodder & Stoughton Limited

Critics Review

Eloquent, affecting verse novel
The Guardian
A captivating verse novel about family and identity, full of warmth and wisdom
Sophie Anderson in The Daily Express
Thoughtful and sensitive...a gripping but heart-warming tale
People's Friend Magazine
A warm, funny and moving verse novel
Irish Independent
A rich verse novel, with a family mystery to unravel at its core
The Herald Scotland
I have just finished a new verse novel by Scottish-based poet and debut children's author Nadine Aisha Jassat. The Stories My Grandma Forgot (and How I Found Them) is not like anything I have read for this age group (9-11-year-olds). I thought it would be an emotional book about dementia, but it's a very pacy book with a mystery - or two! - happening at the same time. Verse novels are great for young readers, there is a lot of white space on the page and the word count is often shorter than prose books. I read this in two days, it was hard to put down. The verse aspects were visually intriguing and playful.
Maisie Chan in The Guardian
An amazing verse novel about the power of memory and a bond between grandmother and granddaughter
The Bookseller
The Stories Grandma Forgot is half captivating mystery, half love letter to family, empathy, and the things that make life joyous...heart-wrenching and heart-warming in equal measure - one that will stay with you long after you've turned the final page
Scottish Booktrust
This was an engaging poetry book about Nyla Elachi finding out who she truly was...I really enjoyed reading it...the characters were well rounded and described. They felt like they were standing next to me...I also found myself wanting to turn and talk to Jess and Ray, Nyla's friends, even after I'd put the book down. I liked reading this book a lot. I finished it in a flash, not just because of the appealing story line, but because of the form
Kirsten (13 years old) - Books Up North
A powerful and empathy laden story of an inter-generational family, a mixed heritage girl discovering racism and the hunt for truths...the characters in this story are beautifully written and they leap off the page and into the heart of the reader. Their relationships are real - filled with promises, occasional let-downs but always love. I love the librarian and the role she plays in Nyla's world, bringing hope, understanding, empathy and strength to her. The format of this verse novel is wonderful. You can't skim or skip words as each one is specific and necessary. The entire story is threaded with words that are as important as Nyla's quest. Empathy building, relatable and important - coming in May, this is a vital story
My Shelves Are Full blog
A glorious read
K and O Bonkers About Books blog
This is such a powerful, emotive story. Nyla is delightful character whose relationship with her grandmother is captured with such warmth and love...her love for the person her grandmother was, and is, shines through, creating some deeply poignant moments, encouraging empathy for their situation...the story works so well as a verse novel, sensitively exploring Nyla's emotions as events unfold...truly captivating!'
Through the Bookshelf blog
That's ok, Nadine, I didn't need my heart today, which is lucky as you've broken it. (I mean, you put it back together, but still) This is a beautiful book...an amazing book...it's almost deeper than a prose book would be...a wonderful story that needs to be on every school bookshelf. Fantastic
Read and Reviewed blog

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