To tell off or not to tell off #BookBytes 4

I think Mum already knew the answer because her lips looked like they were about to smile. I didn’t think she’d tell me off, even though pomegranates are so expensive, but you can never be too sure with grown-ups. Sometimes they don’t tell you off even when you’ve done something you know you shouldn’t have. And at other times, when you think you haven’t done anything that bad at all, they punish you twice as much. Michael says it’s so they can keep us on our toes. But I’ve never stood on my toes when I’m being told off so I don’t see how that works.

It was a relief reading this and knowing I shouldn’t feel guilty about being a confused mother in the context of deciding when to tell off and get angry with D. Actually, it is not a matter of deciding at all. It is like an inverse equation between my patience level and my reactionary mode.

This passage is from the book I am reading currently The Boy at the back of the class by Onjali Q. Rauf. This middle-grade book is a winner of the Blue Peter Best Story Award 2019 and Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2019.

The book tells the story of a 9-year-old Syrian Refugee kid who has travelled a difficult journey from Syria to London where he has got enrolled in a school. He has a hard time adjusting in the school but thankfully there are 4 empathetic classmates who want to be his friend.

I am half-way through the book at the moment and I am sure there are going to be far more moving lines in the story from here on.

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Joining Tulika Singh with her #BookBytes post

If you stumble upon a quote, a line (or two) or even a passage that leaps out at you demanding to be shared, do join in with #BookBytes. To know the rules, head over to Tulika’s post by clicking on the above link.