I am happy to announce today is my stop on the Ice Cream Boy blog tour.

My stop on the tour is a book review.

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Title: Ice Cream Boy

Written by: Lindsay Littleson

Published by: Floris Books

Blurb

Twelve-year-old Luca Verani has his future all mapped out: who needs school when he’s going to take over his family’s ice cream cafe? But then his aunt announces she’s selling the struggling business and Luca realises that his nonna’s memory is disappearing. Plus, he’s starting high school and one of his best friends Sitara is being targeted by racist bullies. As Luca’s worries pile up, will his dreams melt away?

Ice Cream Boy is a heart-warming novel from Lindsay Littleson, author of Carnegie-nominated Guardians of the Wild Unicorns. Full of authentic dialogue, gentle humour and true-to-life characters, this engaging middle-grade novel explores the thoughts and feelings of children affected by dementia.

Review

This is a a great book that sensitively deals with dementia in a way young children are able to understand and empathise with. Our main protagonist, Luca considers himself the class clown and sometimes his behaviour in class is questionable. His character arc is excellent and we certainly see Luca mature over the course of the book not only with his attitude to school and his father, but also with his future career prospects, realising he has so many options he can consider.

He is dealing with a lot at home as his grandma is gradually becoming more forgetful and confused. His mother is away working a lot and his estranged dad lives in Italy. The issues of racism are well portrayed and I particularly liked the emphasise on how the children do not have to act like their parents and can make their own choices.

In fact, there is so much to love about Ice Cream Boy and the way family relationships are explored making this book a highly relatable and compelling read.

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About the Author

Lindsay Littleson is an award-winning middle-grade author from Glasgow, Scotland. Her books include Carnegie-nominated Guardians of the Wild Unicorns, The Secrets of the Last Merfolk and Kelpies Prize-winning The Mixed-Up Summer of Lily McLean, which was also longlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Books Prize.

Inspired by many happy years as a primary teacher, Lindsay’s books have been praised for their believable characters and authentic dialogue. She currently lives in Renfrewshire, Scotland.

You can find out more about Lindsay and her books on her website: www.lindsaylittleson.co.uk/ and follow her on X: @ljlittleson and on Instagram: @lindsaylittleson .

To follow the rest of the tour please check out the schedule below:

I would like to thank Kelly from Love Book Tours for inviting me to take part in this tour. Thank you.