A family-centred story about two teenagers who leave home for London: Jade is impulsive and angry, while shy Honey is unsure about going. The trip challenges their expectations and changes how Jade thinks about home.
More about this book
Jean Ure returns with more warmth and wit in a brilliant book about what happens when two girls decide to run away from home.Fourteen-year-old Jade is fed up with fighting with her mum and step-dad, and her shy sixteen-year-old friend Honey is having a miserable time with her mum, but when Jade decides they should both run away, Honey isn't so sure.It's only when they get to London and things don't work out quite how they expected that Honey shows she has hidden depths, and Jade realises that home is not so bad after all...
Running awayThe available evidence does not establish the book's treatment of this theme. See Confidence & Basis for the evidence gap.Decision-makingThe available evidence does not establish the book's treatment of this theme. See Confidence & Basis for the evidence gap.Family conflictThe available evidence does not establish the book's treatment of this theme. See Confidence & Basis for the evidence gap.
Consider
Family disruption
Personalised Fit
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Jade persuades Honey to leave home for London, though Honey is unsure; their plans do not work out as expected.Provisional readingProvisional: the reviewed evidence does not establish how the book treats this theme. The evidence gap is listed under Confidence & Basis.Provisional: the reviewed evidence does not establish how the book treats this theme. The evidence gap is listed under Confidence & Basis.
Talk about: What does each girl expect to find by leaving, and how do their views differ?
Family tension and change
Jade is fed up with conflict involving her mother and stepfather; Honey is unhappy with her mother. Jade later sees home differently.MixedMixed: the book presents both supportive and critical signals.Mixed: the book presents both supportive and critical signals.
How the book presents it: Jade’s first-person account and the humour beneath the family crises give the conflict a character-led, sometimes comic treatment.
Talk about: How does the story balance Jade’s frustration with her later change in perspective?
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Why It May Be Worth Reading
Jade’s colloquial, humorous first-person voice gives the family tensions a lively, character-led feel rather than presenting them as a detached issue story.
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What Deserves Attention
Family conflict is central: Jade clashes with her strict stepfather, and Honey’s mother is alcoholic. These circumstances may be worth noting if they connect with a reader’s own family life.
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A Conversation Worth Having
What do you think makes Honey hesitate about leaving, and what might help someone decide whether a difficult situation at home needs support from a trusted person?
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Reading Approach
If reading together, pause after the girls reach London and compare what each expected with what happens. This can open a conversation about impulsive choices without treating the story as a guide to running away.
Confidence & Basis
Theme indicators describe how the book presents a topic; they are not a verdict on the whole book or your family's values. Confidence reflects how much book-specific material was checked. Only part of the book information was available, so some details remain unconfirmed.
What remains unconfirmed
Leaving home: The precise difficulties they face in London and the full resolution are unclear.
Family tension and change: The exact nature of the adult character’s eventual response is not clear.
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