Just Like Everyone Else - Sarah Hagger-Holt

Aidan loves to run and is good at it, especially fell running; it gives him the space to breathe that he doesn't get at home which is full of noise, love and people for Aidan is one of five children.  In addition to that, his mum looks after children so the house is always busy but at least, being the only boy, he gets a room to himself; something he needs to escape to more and more when he discovers that his mum has offered to be a surrogate to a gay couple, Justin and Atif, who are friends with his Auntie Jo.  Not only that but Aidan is grappling with his own feelings about his sexuality.  In a world where he is desperate to not stand out, can he understand and accept everything that is going on in his life?

Like most thirteen year olds, Aidan is trying to find his place in the world, and is desperate to simply fit in; in fact, he's terrified of standing out and this becomes very apparent with his best friend, Jack, who doesn't seem to care what others at school think (I really loved this about him) but is having trouble with the PE teacher who is picking on him for not being masculine enough (if I could have reached into the book to teach that PE teacher a lesson, I absolutely would have done!).  Living in a such a full house, and where his parents want to talk openly about everything, Aidan needs space and he finds that through his running as it's one of the rare occasions he gets time on his own .  We see his internal struggle as we move through the book and his fear of talking to anyone about how he is feeling, I am sure, will resonate with readers. 

Being a teenager can be a turbulent time and the desire to fit in is a natural one at that age.  Aidan is desperate for his mum and Jack to be like everyone else and we see this in his reactions at various times in the book.  Of course, the big reason is his now internal struggle with his sexuality and this is rocked further by Justin and Artif's increased presence in his life.  Again, I feel that this story-line will resonate with some readers and help them. 

The concept of surrogacy is not one I've read in a children's/YA book and Sarah tackled this very well.  It's a sensitive subject and I found it interesting to see Aidan's point of view as well as that of his parents and Justin and Atif.  The situation felt very real in the book and Aidan's inability to understand why his mum would do this for people they barely know will create some incredibly interesting discussion points.  

Just Like Everyone Else is a wonderfully heart-warming celebration of family in all its forms where the characters will weave their way into your mind so you find yourself thinking about them even when you're not reading the book.  With strong messages about learning to proud of who you are and embracing life no matter what it throws at you, it's a story with acceptance and love at its heart and one that needs to be in secondary school libraries.

This is the first of Sarah Hagger-Holt's books that I've read but it most definitely won't be the last.