Sam is about to meet his South African dad for the very first time.
He is also under a lot of pressure with his school assignment: Who am I and where do I come from?
“How can I know who I am at 12 years of age when I’m still growing into who I will be for the rest of my life?”
From the very first page, I was laughing. Sam was farting to keep his mum out of his room, getting embarrassed by Nanna’s inappropriate comments and having mishaps like not knowing he was in the lady’s loos.
As a white kid with an afro, Sam’s fro plays a huge role in this story, but for me the title means more. We go to and fro with his feelings for his mum, his dad, his friends, his teacher and even himself. There is a lot of anger and resentment but also love and humour. Many of you might relate to his feelings and questions.
Despite my own vast differences to the characters in this book, I learnt so much from the challenges they face.
I recommend To and Fro for 10 years+, even mums, dads, aunts, uncles and grandparents.
There is an ‘ah-ha’ moment for all of us.
-Sharon Smith, RRL
