A Yellow House by Karien Van Ditzhuijzen

A Yellow House, by Karien Van Ditzhuijzen, is an eye-opening, realistic fiction book, exploring the struggles of Indonesian domestic workers in Singapore. It is told from the perspective of Maya, a ten-year-old Singaporean who is learning to cope with the loss of her grandmother, her mother's newfound obsession with her job, and her new bully, Jennie, who was once her best friend. She isn't doing too well when her parents hire a new maid. The mysterious Aunty M is at once a guardian and a confidant, and she is also a member of a rising organisation called MOM whose goals are the help the abused Indonesian maids of Singapore find their voices. Alongside Aunty M, Maya discovers a dark side to her home, previously unknown to her, and does all she can to help. It's an intense book. Maya's parents fight a lot which may be a touchy subject to some readers, and there are references to suicide, abuse, and some high-level swearing. Overall, I think it's a great book and would highly recommend it to readers 12 and above. (Anna. Grade 7)

Rating: 4/5

Vocabulary Difficulty: 1/5