When the Ground is Hard
Author: Malla Nunn
The tricky navigation of middle school society is complicated by racial class prejudice in Swaziland. Then a brutal neighbor brings the hostilities into the open.
Our Young Reviewer Says:
I absolutely adored this book. There are little to no young adult books about segregation in South Africa, and I was so excited when I learned the premise of the book. When the Ground is Hard didn’t disappoint or lower my expectations whatsoever and Nunn’s novel was an excellent example of storytelling while still displaying a point. Obviously there was an educational purpose of the novel, but it didn’t stop the plot from developing, and it only added to the story; it wasn’t the story itself.
The story is about friendship and understanding that social classes and norms are not what define us. The setting and additional conflicts just made the book more interesting. Adele was an extremely interesting character, and I really appreciated the fact that almost every character in the novel developed throughout the book, including side characters that didn’t play a major role. The development of Adele and Lottie’s friendship isn’t rushed and seems to be extremely realistic, which I appreciated, and this goes for all of the relationships in the novel. The relationships made sense, and even minor relationships were shown, not told, which is a key element of realism in books. Overall, this book was perfect, and there isn’t a single thing I would change.
–Reese, 16 years old, Longmont, CO.
Young people who are interested in reviewing are invited to do so as we welcome the individual perspective of our age appropriate readers. If you are interested in being a reviewer, contact bookcom@bankstreet.edu.
See our Monthly Picks Archive 2012–2018, and our Monthly Picks 2019–present.