Little Light

Shortlisted in the UK Literacy Association (UKLA) Book Awards 2023

Selected for EmpathyLab’s Read for Empathy 2022

A National Poetry Day Selection 2021

An inventive and evocative story, told in poems.

Ava is hiding – hiding from the small, cramped room where she lives with her Mum and two younger siblings, hiding from the taunts and hostility she gets at school, hiding from her sometimes lonely and difficult life. But there’s love and support here too, in the form of Ava’s best friend Roxy, her wise Trinidadian Nan and a stray dog she befriends. Can Ava be brave enough to shine light when life gets dark?

Moving, emotive and poignant, Coral Rumble’s verse novel is a compellingly beautiful read. In a seamless poetic narrative she creates a world peppered with utterly believable characters and feelings, and sensitively highlights some of the dilemmas and challenges many young people face as they grow up.

REVIEWS

"We journey with Ava, feeling such connection, while longing for her happiness and safety. Coral Rumble seems to get right into Ava’s skin. The verse prose is so perfectly formed, descriptive, emotive and progressive; this is a masterclass in storytelling. Bookwagon urges readers to seek Little Light." - Bookwagon

"Little Light delivers everything a good story needs: tears, laughter, tension, loss and redemption. It is a rollicking ride, heartbreakingly sad at times, nail-bitingly tense and deliciously warm and fun. The language of poetry provides multiple layers of insight and keeps the narrative alive and buoyant, shedding more than a little light on the difficulties in a child’s life, at home, at school, with friendships, and real issues that might otherwise stay hidden or misunderstood. Coral Rumble is a true poet and absolutely understands the role of poetry in getting to the heart of things, making the ordinary extraordinary, and shining light on what is most important." - Cheryl Moskowitz

"Little Light is an extraordinary accomplishment - a verse novel with a story so engaging and immersing you often don't notice it's in verse, even though Coral frequently breaks the boundaries of the page to play with form. The book is sensitively illustrated by Shih-Yu Lin. Very much recommended - every school should have a copy. Five stars." - Liz Brownlee, PoetryRoundabout.com

"Ava is enchanting, collecting friends wherever she goes. But her life is challenging as her family escapes an abusive situation. This heart-warming verse novel gives us a sense of how love and empathy can make a difference to traumatised children." - Empathy Lab

RESOURCES & EVENTS

Read about Coral’s inspiration for the book in this blog article: “The story is told by a series of ‘moments’”: Coral Rumble introduces her new verse novel 'Little Light'