Always Angel – at a glance
The School Reading Lists’ five word review: Heartfelt, hopeful and deeply poignant.
Children’s book title: Always Angel.
Children’s author: Kimberley Whittam.
Genre: Social realism, school stories.
Published by: Usborne.
ISBN: 9781803708072.
Recommended for children aged: 10+ year-olds.
First published: Paperback February 2026.
This YA book is ideal for: Children about to start secondary school, fans of overcoming adversity, stories focused on friendship and difficult subjects tackled with sensitivity.
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Our review:
Angel has a reputation and, at school, that reputation follows her everywhere. Known for her defiance, boldness and her regular stints in detention, she is a student most people have already written off. But behind the tough exterior, Angel is just a girl who craves acceptance and desperately seeks connection, to make friends and, more than anything, to be back home with her mum. Trapped in a cycle where everyone expects the worst, Angel finds herself making one bad choice after another, unable to break free from the patterns others have set for her.
It is when Angel enters the school baking competition that a glimmer of hope begins to emerge. Here, she discovers a sense of achievement and purpose, daring to dream that success and their shared love of baking might bring her and her mother back together. As things don’t go entirely to plan, Angel becomes increasingly aware of others around her who are quietly struggling too. Learning to trust and accept help, she finds that she is also capable of making a real difference to those around her, forging new friendships and stepping, cautiously but hopefully, towards a brighter future.
Our verdict:
Kimberly Whittam has written a powerfully emotive, raw and sincere story that gives a formidable voice to children who feel powerless to change how the world perceives and judges them. Angel is an instantly compelling character, easy to empathise with and impossible not to champion. As a classic young carer, she is burdened with far too much responsibility for someone her age. Her mother’s bipolar disorder has worsened following the loss of her grandparents and the estrangement of Uncle Tyrese, who had once been a critical source of support. Now living in foster care, Angel’s behaviour is driven by a deep fear of rejection, a desire to leave before she is inevitably pushed away. Uplifting, warm and deeply poignant, Always Angel is a truly extraordinary read.
Many thanks to Usborne for the review copy.
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