REVIEW: Smart Magazine
Face is set in Newham in East London. It's about a 15-year old boy called Martin Turner, his friends. Mark, Matthew and also his girlfriend, Natalie. All four go to Eastmorelands School. One evening, they go to a rap nightclub. They have a great time there, chatting with friends and dancing. When they leave, Martin drops Natalie at her house and the three others decide to go home too. They are offered a lift from a fast car, but Matthew decides to walk home because he thinks the driver is reckless. So Mark and Martin take the lift. The car crashes, Martin is badly injured and he is told that he will have injuries on his face forever.
I like this book because it is very imaginative and shows other people's reactions to Martin's new face. It's all about discrimination, and how people treat others who look different. Soon after the crash, Natalie finds a new boyfriend, which Martin thinks is because of the way he looks. Mark decides to start a new gang - the White Knights - so Martin is left with only Matthew as his friend.
Martin is teased a lot because of his new face, both at school and in public places. This way Martin leams a lot about discrimination because he would probably have behaved in exactly the same way towards somebody else who has suffered facial injuries. So the car accident definitely changes his life.
One of my favourite parts is when Martin asks for a mirror in the hospital, and he gets very distressed when he sees for the first time the terrible scars and bruises from the car crash. I would recommend this book for 8-15 year olds, and for all those who care about discrimination.
Hannah Partos
(for Smart, issue 8, 1999)
