Little Bang!
Kelly McCaughrain
This is a story about abortion. It is raw, honest and whilst it centres on a woman’s right to choose it also explores the feelings of the potential father.
Mel is 16 and is a science geek. She plans to leave home and study physics in Cambridge. Sid is a bad boy. He drops classes, flouts rules and loves music. It is unexpected when they fall in love. It is devastating when Mel discovers she is pregnant. Set in Northern Ireland in 2018, the plot follows Mel and Sid as they each try to come to terms with what is expected from them by their parents, their school and their friends. Kelly McCaughrain has said she wrote this when she realised how little she knew about the subject of abortion and the arguments she puts forward, some cleverly exposed through Mel’s membership of the school debating society and some through the different parental points of view are well-researched, balanced and sensitively written.
There are several pages of notes at the end of the novel with historical facts, sources of information and support and questions for discussion. It is an excellent YA book worthy of a place on a bookshelf.
Published by Walker Books, 2024
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