Stitched Up follows the story of Hanh, who has no choice but to accept a job offer in the city of Hanoi. She’ll send the income she makes from this shop assistant role back to her family’s farm in rural Vietnam. With Hanh’s money, they could buy better equipment to work themselves out of poverty; her mother would even be able to take better care of their grandma. And so, with her family in mind, Hanh reluctantly gives up her education and agrees to go to work. Once she arrives in the city, however, it’s quickly revealed that the job offer was a scam all along. Hanh is forced into a life of child slavery in an illegal clothing factory. Her new home, a denim sweatshop, has nothing to offer its child workforce other than long hours without rest and pitiful food: “We make jeans and jackets. We cut, sand, embroider, press and distress the denim, working til our fingers bleed. For twelve hours a day, we turn out cheap fast fashion: clothes that will wear out as fast as we do.” Living under the constant threat of violence, Hanh and her factory co-workers must come together to execute their desperate plan of escape. When talking to children, it’s difficult to raise the issue of climate change without generating a sense of inescapable despair. By striking a perfect balance between realism and optimism, Steve’s stories are great for doing just that. They open up a pragmatic environmental awareness through gripping plots which will keep a reader’s interest engaged to the last page. Many thanks to Steve Cole and Barrington Stoke for an ARC of Stitched Up to review!

Thank you to the publishers for this review copy. This is an excellent read about forced child labour and fast fashion. Something that should be considered by many. This a good well plotted story, great characters, enough tension to ensure you keep those pages turning. Also a great reminder of the 'cost' of cheap fast fashion. Certainly recommended.