Welcome to Love or Hate, Family Matters.

Are you one of those teenagers who feel stuck in the limbo where you are neither a child nor an adult yet whatever you claim to be?  Do you also feel keeping yourself far far away from your siblings and your parents is the only way to find your true self? Whether you are ready to admit or not, your family is the most significant influence in your journey to find and establish who you are. Still not convinced? What about reading a couple of good stories on families then?

In this blog, you will find stories of families in diverse cultures and different situations as well as with  focus on various relationships in a family.

Hope you can find your favorite family stories on this blog that make you nod, smile and laugh or cry and that will help you to better undertsand the troubles, strengths and wants of families and learn to accept family as it changes.

UN International day of famlies

Since 1994 when UN announced the year as the International Year of Families, May 15 has been celebrated as the International Day of the Family. This day aims to promote the significance of families.

Family is of no doubt a steady and supporting foundation for all ages. Especially when we face difficult times, the significance of family and sticking together really matters.

If you need more information on UN international day of families, click on the link below. http://social.un.org/index/Family/InternationalObservances/InternationalDayofFamilies.aspx

The Whale Rider

Ihimaera, W. (1987). The whale rider. Auckland, N.Z. : Heinemann.

A beautiful and heart warming story of Kahu Paikea Apirana, a 12 year old Maori girl.

Even though she is the only living child of the tribe's chiefly succession, Kahu is denied to become the leader of the tribe, as she is not a male. The death of her twin brother has further complicated her relationship with grandfather Koro, as he condemns and blames her for everything that goes wrong in the tribe. So Kahu has to fight to win the love of her grandfather and her destiny as tribe leader.
When a pod of whales is stranded on the beach, Kahu can prove she is destined to be the leader of the tribe by riding the biggest whale and leading the pod safely into the sea.

A renown Maori writer, Witi Ihimaera's another tale of the Maori people. He combined past &present and myth &reality and wove a beautiful and unforgettable story.

Looking for Alibrarndi

Machetta, M. (1992). Looking for Alibrandi. Victoria, Australia; Penguin Books.

This is a story of Josephine Alibrandi, a seventeen year old, in her final year at high school. During the year, she is in a constant turmoil; she meets her father who has never known her existence, falls in love, discovers Nonna's secret and loses one of her best freind. In the end, Josie has got a more mature perspective toward her life and the world and become more assured about who she really is.

What makes this story memorable is the main character---vivacious and full of life Josephine. She is smart, passionate and never at a loss with words. However, she is in a constant state of anger with her life. She feels herself a misfit or a rebel at her prestigious private Catholic school, as she is not only on scholarship but also an illegitimate child. Even at home, she struggles with her strict mum and ever-meddling Nonna. Her Catholic upbringing and Italian family value do not go with the life of typical Australian teenagers.

A delightful story that still touches several serious issues that teenagers can face and have to overcome. Warning: There's an issue of teen depression and suicide. However, the positive closing of the story will surely chase away any gloom.

The secret between us

Delinsky, B. (2008). The secret between us. New York, NY : Doubleday.

Deborah allows Grace to drive them back home in the rain when she picks up Grace from a party. However, when their car hits a man running in the dark, Deborah sends Grace running home and decides to take responsibility for the accident on her shoulder.

This story is about how the decision brings in tension between mother and daughter and threatens their special bond.

Even though the book has been written from the perspective of Deborah and mainly explores her relationship with her parents, ex-husband and children, it can be also read from Grace's point of view.

Grace, a 16 year old, suffers because of Deborah's well-inteneded lie. In the end, she becomes more assertive and takes responsibility for the accident and by doing so, has grown up.

Chinese Cinderella

Mah, A. Y. (1999). Chinese Cinderella. London, UK : Puffin. [autobiography]

From the beginning of her life, Adeline is considered to be bad luck, as her mum died a week after she was born. She feels neglected and denied love by her father and her siblings. This situation even gets worse when her father gets remarried. The stepmother doesn't like all the children of his previous marriage, particularly Adeline.

This story is about how Adeline struggles to find her own place where she feels she belongs. She immerses herself in achieving academic success to win her father's favour. In the end, she wins a scholarship, which takes her to the UK and a new opportunity of life.

Kimchi and Calamari

Kent, R. (2007). Kimchi and calamari. New York, NY : Harper.

A humorous yet heart warming, funny yet serious story of 14 year old Joseph Calderaro who was adopted as an infant from Korea into a thoroughly Italian family.

Joseph is a happy young adult who loves his family and has no questions about who he is until he turns 14. His social studies assignment on family heritage story make him wonder about who he really is. Is he Italian like his adoptive family? Is he Korean like his birth parents? Who is Joseph?

Joseph embarks his adventure to search for his birth mother and in the end comes to terms with his unique identity.

You will enjoy this light-hearted story that tells you that families are never perfect. but we are still love each other.