Ellie Pillai is Brown

Product Information

Ellie Pillai is (almost) in love - A beautiful love story between friends, family, lovers and eventually herself? out of 5 ... My rating might change to a 2 star because honestly, I didn't really enjoy this as much as I wanted to but there are some things I appreciated. The Branford Boase is an annual award that recognises outstanding debut novels written for young people, and is unique in honouring editor as well as author. Christine shares thewin with her editor, Leah Thaxton, of Faber & Faber. Christine Pillainayagam is the winner of the 2023 Branford Boase Award for the year’s outstanding debut novel for young people for her funny, song-filled, second-generation coming of age story Ellie Pillai is Brown. The Branford Boase Award is unique in honouring editor as well as author and Christine shares the win with her editor, Leah Thaxton, of Faber & Faber. Most days, Ellie Pillai is somewhere between invisible, and not very cool - and usually she's okay with that. But suddenly, Ellie feels different. Maybe it's the new boy at school who makes her brain explode into rainbows every time she sees him (and also happens to be going out with her best friend), or maybe it's her new drama teacher, the one who seems to have noticed she exists. Suddenly, her misfit style, her skin colour, her songwriting and all that getting lost in the music in her head seem to be okay too. Because maybe standing out isn't a bad thing after all. About This Edition ISBN:

Christine Pillainayagam, who is originally from Norfolk - Picture: Charlotte Knee Photography (Image: Charlotte Knee Photography) Editor, Leah Thaxton says: “When I first read Christine's novel I pinched myself – it couldn'tpossibly be a debut; or this thought-provoking and funny. Christine is the voice of ageneration. My journey with Ellie Pillai is Brown has been an honour and a blast –because Christine is the real deal and gorgeous with it too. She writes for readers whoabsurdly haven't yet seen themselves in novels - what marks her out as exceptional isthat she does so with such style, intelligence and charm, citing universal truths that havestayed with me and all who read her novels long after reading. She has the ability to nailcharacter in a sentence, and to write dialogue that sings. I'm just so happy to have beenalong for the ride. Thank you for the honour of this award but the credit is all Christine's,it honestly is. (But I'll take the praise, anything to hang on to her coattails!).” My name is Ellie. Ellie Pillai. And I suppose I am a little bit weird, but then, aren't we all, just a little bit?

Publisher

Ellie has a secret, hidden from her parents. She is a gifted musician and potential dramatist. For this reason she opts for drama as her exam subject instead of computer science. She has not yet told her parents of this choice. What will be the consequences when they learn that she is entered for drama? Ms Pillainayagam added: “I am so grateful to have this opportunity to show all the kids out there who don’t believe they’re extraordinary, that they are.” Elie Pillai is Brown fizzes with emotional energy and the power of music. Navigating loss, love and family strains while standing out as a brown girl in a predominantly white school isn’t easy for Ellie, a budding songwriter and music aficionado. A beautiful, funny ode to finding the strength to sing up and stand out, this winner is sure to chime with readers who also feel they don’t quite fit in, with QR codes peppered through the book bringing Ellie’s songs to life, and adding extra depth to the experience. Ellie Pillai is Brown is the debut YA novel from Christine Pillainayagam. It is a powerhouse of a coming-of-age story that is funny, charming and thought provoking. Christine Pillainayagam describes her book as “a classic coming of age story with theadded layer of colour” and says the idea came from some of her own experiencesgrowing up as a second-generation immigrant in a majority white community: “Ellie’s a British teenager growing up with all the classic teenage woes, but she’s also caughtbetween two cultures, dealing with family grief and a sense that she doesn’t reallybelong anywhere.”

An easily expected plot yet quite charming for a debut and bit swooningly cute too (oh~ James!). A recommendation if you're searching for another YA fiction with POC character and coming-of-age narrative. 3.5 stars to this! In this Waterstones Thriller of the Month, as recommended on BBC Radio 4’s Open Book, one family’s skeletons emerge on a 1950s seaside summer holiday in this classic mystery from ‘Britain’s Patricia Highsmith’ and the ‘grandmother of psycho-domestic noir’ ( Sunday Times ) Chan, who won the 2022 Branford Boase Award for Danny Chung Does Not Do Maths (Piccadilly Press) and was a judge this year, commented: “ Ellie Pillai is Brown is a lyrical book about the messy teenage years told with humour and pathos. Ellie is a character you want to root for and hug. It is an expertly crafted book that looks at first love, identity and grief."

Christine Pillainayagam Press Reviews

This story follows Ellie as she tries to find her way through her first love and her GCSE year. It’s a coming of age story that shows a girl struggle through the normal aspects of any 15 year olds life and is a great story that fills you with enjoyment as you read it . Christine Pillainayagam describes her book as ‘a classic coming of age story with the added layer of colour’ and says the idea came from some of her own experiences growing up as a second-generation immigrant in a majority white community: “Ellie’s a British teenager growing up with all the classic teenage woes, but she’s also caught between two cultures, dealing with family grief and a sense that she doesn’t really belong anywhere.” The book tells the story of teenager Ellie, who is trying to work out who she is. She loves music and, unbeknown to her parents, who wouldn’t approve, is doing drama GCSE. Add first love into the mix, and things get very complicated indeed. Ellie writes songs to describe what she’s going through, the addition of QR codes throughout the book allow readers to listen to them.