Laura Bates

After starting fresh with her mother in a Scottish fishing village, Anna learns that rumors of the "incident" have followed her, and she finds herself drawn to Maggie, a girl burned for witchcraft centuries before. Includes discussion questions.

The Burning

A very powerful book that examines a lot of important issues that I’m sure most girls have experienced at some point in their life. I’m talking slut-shaming, double standards, bullying and the awful role social media can play in all of this.

It’s a real examination of the misogyny girls experience during their school years. 

The book is narrated by fifteen year old Anna, who has recently moved to a seaside village in Scotland, in attempt to escape harassment taking place in her home town.

There’s parts of the book that are incredibly hard-hitting and heartbreaking. I think the author does an amazing job at conveying the anxieties that come with being a woman. 

I also found the sub-plot about witchcraft, and misogyny in the seventeenth century really poignant, as it run alongside Anna’s own experiences in the twenty first century. 

There were many parts of the book that I really loved, and I can appreciate the vastness of the topics and issues covered. However, I can’t help but feel like there was too much crammed into a 300 page book. Some of the themes and narratives could have been stand-alone stories themself which is why I’d give this book a three star rating!

Robyn Claridge

A very powerful book that examines a lot of important issues that I’m sure most girls have experienced at some point in their life. I’m talking slut-shaming, double standards, bullying and the awful role social media can play in all of this.

It’s a real examination of the misogyny girls experience during their school years. 

The book is narrated by fifteen year old Anna, who has recently moved to a seaside village in Scotland, in attempt to escape harassment taking place in her home town.

There’s parts of the book that are incredibly hard-hitting and heartbreaking. I think the author does an amazing job at conveying the anxieties that come with being a woman. 

I also found the sub-plot about witchcraft, and misogyny in the seventeenth century really poignant, as it run alongside Anna’s own experiences in the twenty first century. 

There were many parts of the book that I really loved, and I can appreciate the vastness of the topics and issues covered. However, I can’t help but feel like there was too much crammed into a 300 page book. Some of the themes and narratives could have been stand-alone stories themself which is why I’d give this book a three star rating!

Wren Hardwick

This book was so powerful. For someone who was bullied a lot in high school, and only had a handful of friends stick by me through it all, this brought me to absolute tears. Women support women. You never know the full story. This is feminism at its finest. I implore you to read this and learn. 

Triggers : bullying, online bullying, non-consensual photo-sharing, grieving for a passed loved one.

Josefina

'The Burning lights a fire in you - one that makes you want to fight for change and ignite sparks in others so the fire spreads and spreads.' - HOLLY BOURNE A rumour is like a fire. You might think you’ve extinguished it but one creeping, red tendril, one single wisp of smoke is enough to let it leap back into life again. Especially if someone is watching, waiting to fan the flames ... New school. Tick. New town. Tick. New surname. Tick. Social media profiles? Erased. There’s nothing to trace Anna back to her old life. Nothing to link her to the ‘incident’. At least that’s what she thinks … until the whispers start up again. As time begins to run out on her secrets, Anna finds herself irresistibly drawn to the tale of Maggie, a local girl accused of witchcraft centuries earlier. A girl whose story has terrifying parallels to Anna’s own… The compelling YA debut from Laura Bates, founder of the Everyday Sexism Project and bestselling author of Girl Up. PRAISE FOR THE BURNING: 'This is a book teen girls NEED to read' - Holly Bourne 'Bold, brutal & hugely important' - Abi Elphinstone 'Defiant and inspiring' – Katherine Webber 'Brilliant' – Stylist 'Essential reading for fans of Holly Bourne and Louise O'Neill' - The Observer PRAISE FOR GIRL UP: ‘A bracing love letter to today's teenage girls’ – Sunday Times 'Essential reading for young women and girls’ – Morning Star Online 'This no-nonsense guide to being a girl in 2016 is one all teen girls should read’ – Red magazine 'If you have a daughter or a niece or a younger sister or a goddaughter, buy it for them now' --The Pool PRAISE FOR EVERYDAY SEXISM: ‘This is an important book’ –Independent ‘A potent reminder of how far feminism has come and how far it has to go’ - Kirkus Reviews 'A game-changing book, a must-read for every woman' –Cosmopolitan 'Funny and clever' - Telegraph

beth killen

Heidi Lowe 

Yi Yaw

RUNE

Addie 🌻

'The Burning lights a fire in you - one that makes you want to fight for change and ignite sparks in others so the fire spreads and spreads.' - HOLLY BOURNE A rumour is like a fire. You might think you've extinguished it but one creeping, red tendril, one single wisp of smoke is enough to let it leap back into life again. Especially if someone is watching, waiting to fan the flames ... New school. Tick. New town. Tick. New surname. Tick. Social media profiles? Erased. There's nothing to trace Anna back to her old life. Nothing to link her to the 'incident'. At least that's what she thinks ... until the whispers start up again. As time begins to run out on her secrets, Anna finds herself irresistibly drawn to the tale of Maggie, a local girl accused of witchcraft centuries earlier. A girl whose story has terrifying parallels to Anna's own... The compelling YA debut from Laura Bates, founder of the Everyday Sexism Project and bestselling author of Girl Up. PRAISE FOR THE BURNING: 'This is a book teen girls NEED to read' - Holly Bourne 'Bold, brutal & hugely important' - Abi Elphinstone 'Defiant and inspiring' - Katherine Webber 'Brilliant' - Stylist 'Essential reading for fans of Holly Bourne and Louise O'Neill' - The Observer PRAISE FOR GIRL UP: 'A bracing love letter to today's teenage girls' - Sunday Times 'Essential reading for young women and girls' - Morning Star Online 'This no-nonsense guide to being a girl in 2016 is one all teen girls should read' - Red magazine 'If you have a daughter or a niece or a younger sister or a goddaughter, buy it for them now' --The Pool PRAISE FOR EVERYDAY SEXISM: 'This is an important book' -Independent 'A potent reminder of how far feminism has come and how far it has to go' - Kirkus Reviews 'A game-changing book, a must-read for every woman' -Cosmopolitan 'Funny and clever' - Telegraph