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Recommended by Amanda Lawson (@Mrs_Lawson79)
Form and genre: Prose
Length: 181 pages
Summary:
Growing up in a struggling coal-mining town, Billy Elliot knows his father wants him to learn to box like he did, but he has other ideas. Encouraged in secret by a local teacher, he’s determined to dance his way to a different future.
Age recommendation and challenging content: Offensive language,
Gender stereotyping
Notable reasons for recommending this book: Great text for challenging stereotyping as well as helping students see importance of context on a text, due to setting within 1984 miner’s strikes and reign of Margaret Thatcher.
Other useful information: Engaging text covering big ideas of acceptance, class, individuality and gender.