Regatta (by Libby Purves)

I am glad I decided to re-read my novels by Libby Purves this year. So far I have thoroughly enjoyed the ones I first read over fifteen years ago. However, over the past couple of days I re-read ‘Regatta’, which I first read back in 2004. And while I did like it, once I got into the story, I didn’t find it as moving or thought-provoking as some of Purves’ other novels.

The main character is Anansi, an eleven-year-old girl who has been in and out of council care for most of her life. Her moth...