Paper Aeroplanes

Set in a place called Guernsey (which I discovered upon Googling is an island off the coasts of England and France) in the 1990s, Paper Aeroplanes follows the lives of Renee and Flo, two teenage girls struggling with life.

Renee’s mum died when she was young and her dad left just after, so Renee and her sister live with their grandparents, who refuse to talk about anything, especially Renee’s mum. Not only that, but Renee’s sister is currently starving herself to try and get her grandparents to listen to her. While all this is going on, Renee meets Flo.

Flo’s family is a mess. Her dad has moved out and her mother and brother couldn’t care less about him. Her so-called best friend spends most of her time bossing Flo around and making sure she feels as insecure about herself as possible. One night at a house party, Renee finds Flo in a rather embarrassing drunken state and takes her home. It’s from here that the pair form a friendship that provides both girls with much-needed support and love.

Paper Aeroplanes is a fun yet sad novel about two teenagers who learn that some friends are more like family members than the ones you’ve actually got. For ages 14 and up.

Katherine Dretzke