Ellie Pillai is Brown

Product Information

Seeing a Tamil character is always nice and I felt empathetic towards Ellie, especially in terms of feeling lost and just not knowing how to go about wanting to do what she wants whilst still trying to make her parents proud. A typically, Tamil / Asian struggle I feel like. The friendships were also very cute and very high school like, which made me feel nostalgic at times. This is also a read that's perfect for fans of Never Have I Ever is what I also felt. Ever since Ellie started dating the hottest boy in school, trouble seems to be attracted to her. What feels like (almost) love with her boyfriend Ash, confused her after meeting the stranger "Dirty-Blond" in New York. Most days, Ellie Pillai is somewhere between invisible, and not very cool – and usually she’s okay with that. But suddenly, Ellie feels different. Maybe it’s the new boy at school who makes her brain explode into rainbows every time she sees him (and also happens to be going out with her best friend), or maybe it’s her new drama teacher, the one who seems to have noticed she exists. Suddenly, her misfit style, her skin colour, her songwriting and all that getting lost in the music in her head seem to be okay too. Because maybe standing out isn’t a bad thing after all. I’ll give the writer this though, I am so happy the book ended with Ellie being single and now caving into the “who will she choose” trope. I liked the highlighting of “Ellie is 16 and deserves to find herself before getting into a relationship” so props to that and also the fact that the book continues to be multi-media central with some beautiful song (written and sung by the writer) linked throughout the work. LoveReading4Kids Editorial Expert Julia Eccleshare, Chair of the judges and co-founder of the Branford Boase Award adds, “Children’s books, like everything else, are changing very fast and the latest threat fromtechnology is much in everyone's minds. But some things remain constant: the desire tocreate the best stories for children is one of them. The BBA has a past that grew out ofsadness. Its foundations are a tribute to the great work of an author and an editor whotogether made wonderful books. Its legacy is tonight at this celebration of the winnersof the 2023 Branford Boase Award, two gifted and creative individuals, a writer and hereditor, are a brilliant embodiment of the commitment all of us in this room have tocontinue to create the best stories for children and young adults.”

Ellie Pillai is Brown is brilliant, bold, hilarious and unique. If you love romance novels with real-life drama and heart, then this is the book for you. Definitely a must for your YA summer reading list. I don't think I read much of fiction with POC character so was quite delighted to receive this new debut with such main character. 𝙀𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙚 𝙋𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙞 𝙄𝙨 𝘽𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙣 followed a heartwarming journey of Ellie Pillai during her adolescent years, being a Sri Lankan teen living in a different culture community with her strict and successful parents that always wanted her to be the best (to achieve her potential as what her mom always said) though in reality, she was always think she deserves to be sitting inside the invisible bubble and to feel awkwardly weird most of the times. Maisie Chan, who won the 2022 Branford Boase Award for Danny Chung Does Not DoMaths and was a judge this year, says, “Ellie Pillai is Brown is a wonderfully lyrical bookabout the messy teenage years told with humour and pathos. Ellie is a character youwant to root for and hug. It is an expertly crafted book that looks at first love, identityand grief."Navigating loss, love and family strains while standing out as a brown girl in a predominantly white school isn’t easy for Ellie, a budding songwriter and music aficionado. A beautiful, funny ode to finding the strength to sing up and stand out, Ellie Pillai is Brown is sure to chime with readers who also feel they don’t quite fit in, with QR codes peppered through the book bringing Ellie’s songs to life, and adding extra depth to the experience. Julia Eccleshare, Chair of the judges and co-founder of the Branford Boase Award adds, ‘Children’s books, like everything else, are changing very fast and the latest threat from technology is much in everyone’s minds. But some things remain constant: the desire to create the best stories for children is one of them. The BBA has a past that grew out of sadness. Its foundations are a tribute to the great work of an author and an editor who together made wonderful books. Its legacy is tonight at this celebration of the winners of the 2023 Branford Boase Award, two gifted and creative individuals, a writer and her editor, are a brilliant embodiment of the commitment all of us in this room have to continue to create the best stories for children and young adults.’

My name is Ellie. Ellie Pillai . . . And I suppose I am a little bit weird, but then, aren't we all, just a little bit? Most days, Ellie Pillai is somewhere between invisible, and not very cool - and usually she's okay with that. But suddenly, Ellie feels different. Maybe it's the new boy at school who makes her brain explode into rainbows every time she sees him (and also happens to be going out with her best friend), or maybe it's her new drama teacher, the one who seems to have noticed she exists. Suddenly, her misfit style, her skin colour, her songwriting and all that getting lost in the music in her head seem to be okay too. Because maybe standing out isn't a bad thing after all. 'I adored this.' Simon James Green, author of Alex in Wonderland. 'Warm, funny and hopeful.' A M Dassu, author of Boy, Everywhere. Pillainayagam describes her book as “a classic coming of age story with the added layer of colour” and says the idea came from some of her own experiences growing up as a second-generation immigrant in a majority white community: “Ellie’s a British teenager growing up with all the classic teenage woes, but she’s also caught between two cultures, dealing with family grief and a sense that she doesn’t really belong anywhere.”

Publisher

When Ellie goes to visit Granny in New York, she has to say goodbye to best friends Hayley and Jess, and hello to her annoying cousin Hope (walking model for argan oil), not to mention cryptic text messages from Ash and a meet-cute with a Dirty Blond stranger, who might just be less of a stranger than a boy from school who wants her to join his band... On winning the Branford Boase Award, she says, “A few years ago, an editor I admiredwas nominated for the Branford Boase Award. At the time, I had a rough manuscript,no agent and nothing close to a book deal. To win this award (my very first!) is sosurreal, and so hugely important to me, because it validates that stories like minebelong, bringing a mirror to readers who may feel they’ve never seen themselvesbefore. I’m so delighted to share this with my brilliant editor Leah, who not only took achance on me as a first-time writer but gave me the courage to tell the story I needed,without compromise. I think I can officially call myself a writer now!”

I really enjoyed reading Ellie's journey. It is filled with all the things that teenagers go through as their rite of passage growing up. Trying to figure out who they are and what they really want. I liked that the book reflected real life. It didn't gloss over the tragedies and predicaments that many young people have to go through. I also liked the supporting cast of characters that Pillainayagam has created in the book as they really enhanced the story. There are also some very funny moments in the book which gives the novel real heart. Ellie Pillai is Brown is a coming-of-age romantic novel told from the perspective of Ellie Pillai, a teenager who has perfected the art of being inconspicuous; who makes sense of the world through music; who doesn’t feel she fits in; but who learns to accept and love herself, and those around her, for the talents, gifts, flaws and imperfections that make them unique. out of 5 ... My rating might change to a 2 star because honestly, I didn't really enjoy this as much as I wanted to but there are some things I appreciated.Christine Pillainayagam describes her book as “a classic coming of age story with theadded layer of colour” and says the idea came from some of her own experiencesgrowing up as a second-generation immigrant in a majority white community: “Ellie’s a British teenager growing up with all the classic teenage woes, but she’s also caughtbetween two cultures, dealing with family grief and a sense that she doesn’t reallybelong anywhere.” Watch the Branford Boase Awards 2023 Celebration Ceremony, with contributions from Chair of Judges Julia Eccleshare, Judge Sajeda Amir and the winning author and editor, in conversation with LoveReading MD, Deborah Maclaren. Coffee house Caffè Nero has announced the 16-strong shortlist for the inaugural Nero Book Awards, recognising the outstanding books of the past 12... The eponymous Ellie Pillai is aged 15, a British Indian girl from a sleepy English village. Her mother and father are extremely over-protective, having lost her younger brother Amis to leukaemia at the age of twelve. For her GCSE examinations her parents want Ellie to take computer science. They want Ellie to be qualified for a good job when she is grown up. They also believe that since she is not particularly good-looking she needs to demonstrate her intelligence.

Editor, Leah Thaxton says: “When I first read Christine's novel I pinched myself – it couldn'tpossibly be a debut; or this thought-provoking and funny. Christine is the voice of ageneration. My journey with Ellie Pillai is Brown has been an honour and a blast –because Christine is the real deal and gorgeous with it too. She writes for readers whoabsurdly haven't yet seen themselves in novels - what marks her out as exceptional isthat she does so with such style, intelligence and charm, citing universal truths that havestayed with me and all who read her novels long after reading. She has the ability to nailcharacter in a sentence, and to write dialogue that sings. I'm just so happy to have beenalong for the ride. Thank you for the honour of this award but the credit is all Christine's,it honestly is. (But I'll take the praise, anything to hang on to her coattails!).” Also, I could also relate to Ellie and Shawn about their attitude to sing publicly, especially the time when Ellie was determined to sing in front of the crowd for the first time and how she reversely used her fear and all kinds of terrifying emotions just for her to just immerse in her music. Thaxton said: “When I first read Christine’s novel I pinched myself – it couldn’t possibly be a debut; or this thought-provoking and funny. Christine is the voice of a generation. My journey with Ellie Pillai is Brown has been an honour and a blast – because Christine is the real deal and gorgeous with it too. She writes for readers who absurdly haven’t yet seen themselves in novels - what marks her out as exceptional is that she does so with such style, intelligence and charm, citing universal truths that have stayed with me and all who read her novels long after reading.Christine Pillainayagam is a writer and retail strategist, who lives in North London with her young family and a collection of records, CD’s and minidiscs (remember those?) that she refuses to be parted from; despite being aware what decade she lives in. The Branford Boase Award is delivered in partnership with the Authors’ Licensing andCollecting Society (ALCS) and supported by Walker Books. Bestselling author Alexandra Christo, author of TikTok sensation To Kill a Kingdom, introduces her new book, The Night Hunt (Hot Key Books), a dark...