Tape by Steve Camden

Taped up

Yeah I read more than just fashion magazines :)

TAPE is the outstanding teen debut of 2014. Told with crackling prose, shimmering with humour and deeply moving, it will haunt anyone who reads it…

Record a voice and it lasts forever…

In 1993, Ryan records a diary on an old tape. He talks about his mother’s death, about his dreams, about his love for a new girl at school who doesn’t even know he exists.

In 2013, Ameliah moves in with her grandmother after her parents die. There, she finds a tape in the spare room. A tape with a boy’s voice on it – a voice she can’t quite hear, but which seems to be speaking to her.

Ryan and Ameliah are connected by more than just a tape.

This is their story.

Courtesy of Harper Collins, I was given the opportunity to review 'Tape' by Steven Camden- a time travelling adventure which is aimed at teenage girls, perhaps younger than myself. After reading the book I concurred that the book is suitable for pre-teen girls perhaps in Year 6 (11/12 years) years upwards as I didn't feel that the language wasn't particularly hard to understand for my age group (15/16 years) although the occasional swear word implemented- which I'm guessing is to blatantly project that this book is for teenagers. I didn't really like the swear words as it didn't correspond with the simple language. If the language was a tad more challenging, perhaps the swear words would've suited it more...

The characters themselves are very personable and each disadvantaged in their own right- which could give you a lightbulb moment in relation to the plot... Although this book has romance- I'm sorry to say that they don't hit up with each other. It'd kinda be impossible to date via a tape recorder (someone will probably try though). The characters themselves have relatable, amazing best friends and I think every teen/pre-teen will relate to their friendships. Especially the girls; where there's pressure to fit in- but this book is beautiful in the fact that nothing bad really happens with the friendships, we just get subtle hints of uneasiness around certain people- which in turn implies thoughts about those near. Every girl wants a best friend like Heather :)

The magical plot itself, well that's a secret which is subtly embedded throughout the story, without you even knowing... and the best part is that it's not inevitable as some other stories. The plot is deeper but don't worry, it's not too confusing :)

I also want to say how beautiful the cover is. Look how pretty the illustrations are; the colour's so bold and totally reflects the book and its plot. 'Tape' has recently been released through Amazon and it's set to be huge, so buck the trend now! Tape