Little Bang

McCaughrain uses the backdrop of the Repeal the Eight campaign south of the Border to good effect… This is a nuanced and thoughtful engagement with the issues, rather than a polemic; the teenage and adult characters are fully developed and complex. A smart, deeply moving book. ~Irish TImes

This novel is authentic, using humour and heartbreak to cover a difficult subject. It is understated and adeptly written, with honesty and respect for its characters and its audience. ~The Best Irish Children’s Books 2024’, The Sunday Times (Ireland)

Full of authentic humour, youthful hyperbole and hope… McCaughrain is careful not to be didactic or reductive. In the end this is a story about young relationships and concerns with believable, sympathetic characters. ~Books of the Year, The Big Issue

Drawing on the events surrounding the 2018 Irish referendum on the eight amendment, McCaughrain shines a harsh light on the lack of sexual education for teenagers in school systems, opening the space for all to enter and discuss. ~Children’s Books Ireland, Editor’s Choice

This is a story that needs to be told and the authenticity and sensitivity with which it is told, bears witness to the award-winning author’s direct experience in schools and the stories she has heard from young people… Moving, compassionate and beautifully told this is an essential and important taboo- breaking book for young people to read. ~LoveReading4Kids