Drowning in my Bedroom is a hard-hitting, powerful and absolutely gripping story told through the eyes of two incredible children living in Manila who are brought together in a fight for survival. 

Eleven-year-old Junjun lives in a shack under a bridge in Manila with his mother, father and four sisters.  He does not go to school, but earns money for his family by begging from passing strangers in the street.  When he sees a girl in a wheelchair, he is glad that he is not her …

Gayla is staying at a residential care centre to learn to adapt to using a power wheelchair even though she doesn’t want to use it as she already feels different enough from other children.  When she sees a boy sorting through a pile of junk, she is glad she is not him …

When he arrives back at the bridge, Junjun discovers that a storm surge has destroyed his home, and left one of his sisters in need of medical care.  Whilst his mother has taken her to try to find a Doctor, Junjun is left with instructions to wait for his father so that they can start to rebuild their home, but he needs to get medicine for his sister …

Gayla is woken by the typhoon-level storm that has destroyed Junjun’s home.  She refuses to be evacuated to the local primary school and instead is determined to wait at the Centre for her father to collect her.  But then she finds herself alone … until she meets Junjun hiding in the kitchen, hoping to find medicine for his sister.

Can these two children work together to survive as the water levels rise inexorably, trapping them in the Centre? My goodness, this was such a tense, heart-pounding read as Junjun and Gayla fight for survival with the very real threat of drowning in the ever-rising flood water.

This is a story that addresses poverty, disability and climate change through the eyes of two children who pull no punches when talking about these in a brutally honest manner as they make connections with each other.  Gayla shares the unfairness inherent in the people of the Philippines suffering the effects of global warming when they are only responsible for half a percent of the total global emissions:  they suffer due to the actions of other countries.  Junjun and Gayla are such strong, inspirational children – not looking for pity and refusing to be defined by other peoples’ expectations and prejudices because of the situations they were born into.  This is certainly a story that encourages empathy and understanding, and which will open discussions around climate change, inequalities and global citizenship. 

The full-and-partial-page illustrations are poignant and powerful and are a testament to both the danger and hope within the story.

This is a thought-provoking, compelling novella and one which I cannot recommend highly enough to readers of 11+ .

This book is published by the wonderful Barrington Stoke who publish dyslexia-friendly, super-readable and accessible books for children of all ages. 

Thank you to Barrington Stoke for providing me with a copy in exchange for my honest opinion.