Trouble is, she has a bit of attitude and some of her teachers are well past their use-by date. And she's Maori.
Living in Taupo, where the rich go to play and the poor stay to work (if they have jobs), Bugs observes her life and the people around her.
Her solo-parent mother is hard-working and good at her job, but it doesn't pay much.
Bugs finds out the hard way the choices we make have consequences when a new girl at school attaches herself to her and Jez, who is like a brother to her.
Through Bugs the author makes some pointed observations about growing up and racism in New Zealand.
Whiti Hereaka is a writer (and solicitor and barrister) worth watching, but this engaging book deserves tighter editing and proofreading. Ages 13+.
- René Nol is a Dunedin reader.
