Me and Mr J by Rachel McIntyre - review

http://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2015/mar/26/review-rachel-mcintyre-me-and-mr-j

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I've always wanted to read a good, solid book about a Teacher/Student romance. It's one of the most talked about topics of a time, a scandal, which is exactly why it's too much of a taboo to write a published novel about. But not for Rachel McIntyre, who gave it a pretty good crack.

Me and Mr J tells the story of poor, bullied Lara Titliss, aged fifteen. But Lara's life soon changes when the gorgeous new teacher, Mr Jagger starts paying her a little more attention than the others at her hell-hole all girls private school. Is it just because he wants her to feel more included? Or could it be something more?

It doesn't take a genius to work out a brief summary of what happens next, but Rachel McIntyre manages to accomplish the impossible – to make it real. We hear these stories on the radio, read them in the news: "teacher preys on vulnerable student". But is that always how it goes? I was over the moon to discover that McIntyre's take on the situation was very similar to mine and that while it had a typical fairytale ending of realisation, which, of course, is an imperative message to get across to young teachers and teenagers alike, the feelings were honest and real, rather than the screwed up story the media often spins.

I was a little disappointed with what I felt to be a lack of fire in McIntyre's writing. I felt as though she'd created a very sassy (but evidently shy) character in Lara which wasn't reflected in much of her narration. I was left wanting a little more flare and humour despite the dark events.

Despite this, I was captivated by the storyline and the events which occur which were so real and so gripping. I remain ecstatic that someone finally gave it a shot of telling it how it is, and overall, it's a solid 8/10. So thank you, Rachel McIntyre.

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