A bittersweet Northern Irish romance that takes a new look at teen pregnancy, the magic and mess of first relationships, and a young woman's right to choose her own future.
"A fantastically clever novel" - Sarah Crossan
"Full of authentic humour, youthful hyperbole and hope" - Books of the Year, The Big Issue
"Deeply true. A book to press into the hands of others" - Deirdre Sullivan
"Warm and wise" - The Bookseller
"Everyone who loved Derry Girls, this is the book for you!" - Sarah Webb
"Bursting with humour, compassion, and characters that fizz with life" - Padraig Kenny
"Romantic, funny, important" - Jenny Ireland
Beneath the New Year's Eve fireworks, shy science-nerd Mel and slacker songwriter Sid get pregnant on their first date. Any sixteen-year-olds would expect trouble – but this is Northern Ireland 2018, where abortion is still illegal. Mel's religious parents insist she must keep the baby, whilst Sid's feminist mum pushes for a termination.
Mel and Sid are determined to do this together, but they soon discover that pregnancy is totally different for boys and girls. When their relationship starts to fall apart under all the pressure, Mel finds herself feeling alone with the impossible dilemma of the Little Bang growing inside her.
Creators
Kelly McCaughrain's debut novel, Flying Tips for Flightless Birds, won an unprecedented hat-trick of awards at the 2019 Children's Books Ireland Awards, including Book of the Year, as well as the Northern Ireland Book Award. Kelly was the Children’s Writing Fellow for Northern Ireland 2019-2021 and she works at Belfast Met College as educational support for young adults with special needs. She says: “I get my best ideas from observing teens. I love their high ideals and natural barometer for injustice. I always want to write things that are worthy of their huge capacity to scrutinise the world and their place in it.” When she isn’t writing, she likes to travel with her 1967 classic campervan, Gerda, and her 1977 classic husband, Michael.
Reviews
McCaughrain uses the backdrop of the Repeal the Eight campaign south of the Border to good effect… This is a nuanced and thoughtful engagement with the issues, rather than a polemic; the teenage and adult characters are fully developed and complex. A smart, deeply moving book.
Irish TImes
Full of authentic humour, youthful hyperbole and hope… McCaughrain is careful not to be didactic or reductive. In the end this is a story about young relationships and concerns with believable, sympathetic characters.
The Big Issue
This is a story that needs to be told and the authenticity and sensitivity with which it is told, bears witness to the award-winning author’s direct experience in schools and the stories she has heard from young people… Moving, compassionate and beautifully told this is an essential and important taboo- breaking book for young people to read.
LoveReading4Kids
McCaughrain is an undeniable talent and a force to be reckoned with, skillfully exploring all the facets of debates around reproductive rights, while leaving enough space for the reader to truly fall in love with Mel and Sid.
Irish Examiner
McCaughrain shines a harsh light on the lack of sex education for teenagers and young people in the school system, communities and homes in Northern Ireland… This book had me rooting for Mel and Sid as two young people navigating choices that they have little knowledge of. Both Mel’s and Sid’s lives are utterly changed, and it is intriguing to read how they not only react, but also come to settle with their decision. McCaughrain motivated me to question, and that is the beauty of a powerful book.
Inis Magazine, Children's Books Ireland
