Review: Looking Up by Abena Eyeson

This coming of age story about Esi, a girl who moves from Ghana to London to join her mother, really touched my heart. I’m always a little in awe of authors who write for teens and children and capture the voice of a child so well. Abena Eyeson did an incredible job writing Esi and I was completely pulled into her mind and her world. I felt the highs and lows of her journey and deeply empathized with her experiences.

Growing up in Zimbabwe, I’ve known so many families, including my own, that were forced to separate when the parents moved abroad in order to send money back home so I immediately connected with Esi and her family. Eyeson has done an amazing job highlighting the pros and cons of moving to London from Ghana and portraying her experience as an immigrant, a child and the new kid.

Esi is such a brave girl and even at my big age, I admire her standing up for herself and holding the adults around her accountable for the way their actions affect her. So often children’s emotions are put on the back burner and their voices smothered within the family. Because of this, I’d recommend this book for all ages and I think entire families would benefit from reading this novel. The journey of not just Esi but her entire family is not just interesting to read but valuable.

And so I highly recommend this book for everyone :)