Hide and Secret (by Helen Parker)

I knew Helen Parker years ago when she lived in Cyprus, so when I heard that her first children’s novel had been published, I was keen to read it. It took a while to get hold of it, and then it sat on my shelves for many months before I finally picked it up to read. I had no idea what to expect.

The story is narrated by 12-year-old Ruth who has been living in Cairo with her widowed mother for as long as she can remember. But her mother is keen for Ruth to go to secondary school in her native Sco...