Ellie Pillai is Brown

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She has the ability to nail character in a sentence, and to write dialogue that sings. I’m just so happy to have been along 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!)” Christine Pillainayagam has won 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 (Faber & Faber). 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. On winning the Branford Boase Award, she said: “A few years ago, an editor I admired was nominated for the Branford Boase Award. At the time, I had a rough manuscript, no agent and nothing close to a book deal. To win this award (my very first!) is so surreal, and important to me, because it validates that stories like mine belong, bringing a mirror to readers who may feel they’ve never seen themselves before. I’m so delighted to share this with my brilliant editor Leah, who not only took a chance on me as a first-time writer but gave me the courage to tell the story I needed, without compromise. I think I can officially call myself a writer now!” 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.”

Meanwhile, though Ellie’s friend Jess is loved up with her girlfriend, Hayley seems to be unhappy. And Ellie’s Granny has come to live with them, with her traditional Sri Lankan views on food and partners and clothing. Why is Ellie’s life so complicated? Christine Pillainayagam is a writer and retail strategist, who lives in North London with her young family and a collection of records, CD’s and minidiscs (remember those?) that she refuses to be parted from; despite being aware what decade she lives in.I don't think I read much of fiction with POC character so was quite delighted to receive this new debut with such main character. 𝙀𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙚 𝙋𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙞 𝙄𝙨 𝘽𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙣 followed a heartwarming journey of Ellie Pillai during her adolescent years, being a Sri Lankan teen living in a different culture community with her strict and successful parents that always wanted her to be the best (to achieve her potential as what her mom always said) though in reality, she was always think she deserves to be sitting inside the invisible bubble and to feel awkwardly weird most of the times. 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, who is originally from Norfolk - Picture: Charlotte Knee Photography (Image: Charlotte Knee Photography) One thing I really liked about Christine Pillainayagam’s book was the characters. They are instantly likeable, and they were all interesting in their own ways. Each character had their own personality and qualities that made them memorable which meant that even as I write this review a week after reading the book, I still remember the characters in it. 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.” Dapo Adeola, Tracy Darnton, Joseph Coelho and Chitra Soundar are among the 19 authors and illustrators longlisted for the Inclusive Books for Child...

About Christine Pillainayagam

Whilst Ellie is trying to overcome her insecurities, new boy Ash joins the school. He is extremely handsome, slightly older, and happens to be the boyfriend of Ellie’s best friend Jessica. However, Ellie and Ash find themselves drawn to each other. They have experienced things which they can both relate to, and both have a real passion for music. As their friendship grows so do their feelings for each other. Making matters worse, Ellie has also lied to her parents about her GCSE subjects and sooner or later they will find out. What could possibly go wrong? 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.

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.I would recommend this book to twelve/thirteen year olds because of some of the events in the book being for older readers. I'm really a fan of the writing style because it's easy to read, but the words are still so meaningful and have depth. I’m so intrigued by the way the words are linked together. Ellie's struggles with her identity resonate as the author draws you into her world. This book is difficult to put down as you become connected to the main character and I found myself hoping for only good things to happen. However, it is through the challenges of teenage life that Ellie begins to find herself, making this an extremely relatable book for upper school students. 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.”

Winner of The Branford Boase Award 2023 | May 2022 Debut of the Month | Shortlisted for the Jhalak Children’s & Young Adult Prize 2023 Ever since Ellie started dating the hottest boy in school, trouble seems to be attracted to her. What feels like (almost) love with her boyfriend Ash, confused her after meeting the stranger "Dirty-Blond" in New York. Seeing a Tamil character is always nice and I felt empathetic towards Ellie, especially in terms of feeling lost and just not knowing how to go about wanting to do what she wants whilst still trying to make her parents proud. A typically, Tamil / Asian struggle I feel like. The friendships were also very cute and very high school like, which made me feel nostalgic at times. This is also a read that's perfect for fans of Never Have I Ever is what I also felt.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? Ellie Pillai is a girl who know what she loves — music. And, against her parents’ wishes, she’s set on making a go of her drama GCSE, determined to find a way to overcome feeling invisible. While her family are mourning the loss of her little brother, which has left Ellie and her mum terribly distant from each other, Ellie has the stable support of her best friend. But her life is well and truly shaken up when a new boy and his twin sister arrive at her school. While handsome Ash is the only person who gets all her music references and understands the power of a playlist and finding the right song for every situation, it looks like he’s hooked up with her best friend, so Ellie tries to put him out of her mind. 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!).” The Primary School Library Alliance is calling on the government to match-fund the private investment it has brought into helping primary schools c... The perfect coming-of-age summer romance by the most spectacularly funny and original debut UKYA voice.