Reggie & Me: The First Book in the Dani Moore Trilogy

Dani Moore Trilogy #1

by Marie Yates

Reggie and Me is the first book in the Dani Moore Trilogy. Dani's story is told through her diary in the wake of her rape and subsequent court case. Having moved with her mum, Dani starts year eleven at a new school, facing various challenges that bring a renewed energy to face whatever is thrown at her and carry on regardless. She realises that ‘normality' is something that she can define herself, with the help of her dog Reggie and the people around her. Reggie and Me is more than a story of survival, as the reader is taken on an inspiring journey of personal development, interweaved with tools that girls and young women can use to create the positive future they deserve.

183 pages, Paperback

First published October 31, 2014

Reviews

[Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reggie and Me offers a different kind of story in regards to the topic of sexual abuse. The focus is not on the fact that Dani was raped, but rather how Dani deals with the aftermath. I really liked how Yates treats a tricky and sensitive topic such as sexual abuse with warmth, honesty and compassion and woven into a compelling story about a girl overcoming some pretty horrendous challenges. When I think of Dani Moore long after I closed the book, the first term came to mind was not 'victim' a label which she refuses to standby, but rather a survivor who is trying to rebuild her life and figure out how to be normal again.
Dani's story is told in first person in a diary format. This format allows us to get a first hand look at Dani and her emotions. I would have liked to actually see what Dani goes through rather than her recounting all which happened in the story in each entry, which can be a bit tedious. One of the biggest strength of the book is that Yates doesn't make Dani's recovery unbelievable in which she succeeds and has a perfect day every day. Dani has really bad days from trying to overcome bullying from some of her female friends and when her self confidence takes a hit, which happens to all of us. Another very strong aspect of the book is displaying the relationship and parallels between Dani and her rescued dog Reggie.
Though Reggie and Me deals with a tough issue, it is ultimately uplifting and is helpful without ever being preachy and heavy handed. It shows us that we have a long way to go from erasing 'victims' from our vocabulary and replacing it with 'survivors'.

[John Sheppard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic story

A very real story which you could relate to when thinking about your ado!scant years. Inspirational for anybody whose not in a good place at the moment in their! Lives