The Letter with the Golden Stamp

This book was incredible and I absolutely LOVED every chapter. The way that Onjali Q. Rauf tells this story though the voice of a child, with such heart and humour, is outstanding! It’s impossible not to fall in love with the main character Audrey - A 10 year old girl with a very closely guarded secret! She is the main carer for her increasingly sick mam and her two younger siblings. After a mysterious neighbour arrives across the road, Audrey feels like her family is threatened and needs to be protected. With nobody else to help, she has to take matters into her own hands to keep her family together. This story does an amazing job of shedding some light onto the challenges navigated by children caring for loved ones; it brings into focus their hardships and worries. As a teacher, it made me aware of the hidden and often invisible, army of young carers. Understanding that the children in our classroom may be going through something like this and they need us to support and care as much we can manage. The heartwarming moments of the story cut deep - you suddenly encounter the unexpected, invisible sources of kindness which may change Audrey’s life forever! For my favourite quotes, I couldn’t choose between two: “I hate those white envelopes. They eat and gobble all of Mam’s money like big fat caterpillars that make holes in everything. Including hearts. But the worst thing is I can’t help her when they arrive. Not even one little bit.” “Eventhough I’m scared of everything that might happen now because of all the things I got wrong, I don’t want to be in any other place except right here, with my mam’s heartbeat wrapped around me like an envelope that has been sealed, holding me and her inside it.”