I am sure that lots of you will already have read and loved Elle’s stellar debut title ‘A Kind of Spark’ (if you haven’t, do it!) and were blown away by the power of her writing. Like me, you will probably have been eagerly awaiting her next publication, hoping it will be just as brilliant. Well, here it is and yes it is! Introducing the equally epic but slightly sinister ‘Show Us Who You Are’:

‘When Cora’s brother drags her along to his boss’s house, she doesn’t expect to strike up a friendship with Adrien, son of the intimidating CEO of Pomegranate Technologies. As she becomes part of Adrien’s life, she is also drawn into the mysterious projects at Pomegranate. At first, she’s intrigued by them – Pomegranate is using AI to recreate real people in hologram form. As she digs deeper, however, she uncovers darker secrets… Cora knows she must unravel their plans, but can she fight to make her voice heard, whilst never losing sight of herself?’

Once again, I was struck by the skill and compassion with which Elle wrote the story of new friends Cora (who is autistic) and Adrien (who has ADHD). I loved that they were entirely accepting of their differences and had respect for each other’s need for ‘time out’ when social interactions became too overwhelming. If everyone was as sensitive to the needs of their friends AND their own needs, I think we would all be much happier.

This thrilling read raises a lot of interesting questions for its readers about the ethics of artificial intelligence, about our understanding of grief and loss, and about our acceptance of ourselves and others for all their differences. I can see lots of interesting discussions being had in classrooms across the country as schools adopt it into their curricula. It is definitely as thought-provoking as it is gripping!

And, oh boy, is it gripping! Tightly written with all the twists, turns and delicately nuanced, emotionally taut scenes you could possibly hope for in this emotional rollercoaster of a read. Absolutely something to put into the libraries of every school and into the hands of anyone aged 10+ who is looking for a brilliant book to become absorbed by.

Library Girl.

*Many thanks to Knights Of for inviting me to be a part of this blog tour*