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Description
In 1913 London, thirteen-year-old Hazel Mull-Dare lives a comfortable life with her doting father and attends a prestigious school for young ladies. When she witnesses a dramatic protest for women's suffrage at the Epsom Derby, she gets a taste of rebellion that changes her perspective. After her father suffers a breakdown, Hazel is sent to live with her grandparents on a sugar plantation in the Caribbean, where she uncovers shocking family secrets.
Quick Summary
If you're looking for a historical fiction pick that goes way beyond the typical World War I story, Hazel delivers something different set partly in 1913 London and partly on a Caribbean sugar plantation, it follows a thirteen-year-old girl who travels to her grandparents' estate after her father suffers a breakdown, only to uncover some genuinely unsettling family secrets along the way. The book tackles some weighty stuff (family trauma, colonial history, what happens when the people who are supposed to protect you have done terrible things), so it might be a good fit for readers who like their stories with real emotional depth rather than light and fluffy. Fans of books like The War That Saved My Life or Code Name Verity historical fiction with strong character journeys and some hard truths will likely appreciate this one, though the Caribbean setting and mystery elements give it a distinct flavor. At nearly 90,000 words it's a solid chunk of reading, but the pacing and Hazel's voice make it feel less like homework and more like getting swept up in someone's complicated family drama. Parents should know it doesn't shy away from dark themes, though the tone stays more thoughtful and investigative than gratuitously dark it's really about a girl figuring out who her family really is and what that means for who she's becoming.