Being the same age as Malala, I remember my utter shock on hearing the news that a girl had been shot in Pakistan. The fact that the reason for her shooting was her campaign for girls to gain rights to education increased my amazement that she should be targeted for promoting something which, here in England, I take for granted every day.

Reading her biography was extremely interesting, and I feel that teenagers (particularly aged 14 and above) would benefit from the experience as I did. While the political details about Pakistan do need concentration to understand fully, the direct and simple way the book is written makes it easily accessible. Although Malala was working with a co-writer (Christina Lamb) on the book, her voice still shines through. The personal details of everyday life in her old village of Swat intermingled with her retelling of living through turmoil under the Taliban, made me feel really involved with her story. I particularly enjoyed Malala's emotional reactions, like her jealousy when beaten in class, which showed her feisty spirit both in her personal life and public campaign. As such, the book made Malala – a girl whose bravery is unimaginable – seem like someone I could relate to.

Malala's story is one which I feel has been told excellently in her own words, and her powerful message of the importance of education for all deserves to be read again and again. Her education is now continuing in the UK. Once it is complete, a second volume of her autobiography, comparing the differences between the English and Pakistani ways of life as well as describing her next life choices, would be fascinating.

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