Fiction

The Twelfth Day of July: A Kevin and Sadie Story

The Twelfth Day of July: A Kevin and Sadie Story

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-04-12 07:53:06
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Joan Lingard
  • ISBN：0141368926
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Summary

The Twelfth Day of July is first of Joan Lingard's influential Kevin and Sadie books， set in Belfast during the Troubles。 It is one of The Originals from Penguin - iconic， outspoken， first。

Sadie is Protestant， Kevin is Catholic - and on the tense streets of Belfast their lives collide。 It starts with a dare - kids fooling around - but soon becomes something dangerous。 Getting to know Sadie Jackson will change Kevin's life forever。 But will the world around them change too？

The Originals are the pioneers of fiction for young adults。 From political awakening， war and unrequited love to addiction， teenage pregnancy and nuclear holocaust， The Originals confront big issues and articulate difficult truths。 The collection includes: The Outsiders - S。E。 Hinton， I Capture the Castle - Dodie Smith， Postcards from No Man's Land - Aidan Chambers， After the First Death - Robert Cormier， Dear Nobody - Berlie Doherty， The Endless Steppe - Esther Hautzig， Buddy - Nigel Hinton， Across the Barricades - Joan Lingard， The Twelfth Day of July - Joan Lingard， No Turning Back - Beverley Naidoo， Z for Zachariah - Richard C。 O'Brien， The Wave - Morton Rhue， The Red Pony - John Steinbeck， The Pearl - John Steinbeck， Stone Cold - Robert Swindells。

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Reviews

Laine ，

this was a cute book！！ probably a bit young for me; not sure if i'll read the other ones in this series， since they're hard to get， but i enjoyed this！ this was a cute book！！ probably a bit young for me; not sure if i'll read the other ones in this series， since they're hard to get， but i enjoyed this！ 。。。more

Rebecca ，

Read for school mehh

Estelle ，

Read in French: 'Le 12 juillet'。 Read in French: 'Le 12 juillet'。 。。。more

Brecht Guillemyn ，

Very informative novel， written in a style every one can understand。 It reads very fluently。

ELSA ✨ ，

3，5 ☆I first came upon the Kevin and Sadie series through Across the barricades （the second book） when I was in middle school。 For some reason I never got around to read the whole series， even though I loved the book。 Reading the series now as an adult， I can still say that I love the stories about Kevin and Sadie。 I really like the setting （Belfast in the 1970's）， the portraying of the characters， the writing style and the book having two stories going parallel to each other。 The Twelfth day of 3，5 ☆I first came upon the Kevin and Sadie series through Across the barricades （the second book） when I was in middle school。 For some reason I never got around to read the whole series， even though I loved the book。 Reading the series now as an adult， I can still say that I love the stories about Kevin and Sadie。 I really like the setting （Belfast in the 1970's）， the portraying of the characters， the writing style and the book having two stories going parallel to each other。 The Twelfth day of July was a really good read， however， I found it a bit difficult relating to Kevin and Sadie in their younger years。 It was a fun following their mischiefs in the first book， but I can only think about how much more interesting the rest of the series will be。 。。。more

Anne Macnamara ，

I read this at school and enjoyed again - wish I had more of the series， as I want to see the characters develop。 Of its time （1970s Belfast）， yet sadly so many things have not changed。

Nicola Quinn ，

I read this as a #buddyread with the lovely Lauren @lj_reads and really enjoyed it。 This is a book I read in my school days and I think most teens in Northern Ireland read it as part of the school curriculum but it’s not a book I hear mentioned much nowadays。 It was fantastic to reminisce with this one and I will definitely keep for my girls to pick up when they are older。 This is the first in a series of books and follows Kevin and Sadie and how the relationship between them starts and develops I read this as a #buddyread with the lovely Lauren @lj_reads and really enjoyed it。 This is a book I read in my school days and I think most teens in Northern Ireland read it as part of the school curriculum but it’s not a book I hear mentioned much nowadays。 It was fantastic to reminisce with this one and I will definitely keep for my girls to pick up when they are older。 This is the first in a series of books and follows Kevin and Sadie and how the relationship between them starts and develops。 They both come from different areas and different religious backgrounds。 This is a very important issue that’s covered but I had lots of giggles whilst reading it。 I’m not sure the younger generation will get some of the references now a days though。 It was a great childhood re-read！ 。。。more

Tracey Pearce ，

I first read this when I was 11 in 1985 and loved it。 When first read it I had no idea of the "troubles" and just thought it was about people from wrong side of town。 Over 30 years later I found it dragging to start with but it did get better and religion has a lot to be blamed for。 I first read this when I was 11 in 1985 and loved it。 When first read it I had no idea of the "troubles" and just thought it was about people from wrong side of town。 Over 30 years later I found it dragging to start with but it did get better and religion has a lot to be blamed for。 。。。more

Sue ，

I bought this and the Kevin and Sadie sequel （Across the Barricades） for my school library to add to our stock of stories about Ireland and Irish history。 As with decolonising Black history， a lot of Irish history is largely ignored in British schools and yet it is also an integral part of our shared history。As for the book itself， it vividly describes the tension between the Protestants and the Catholics in the rivalry between Kevin （Catholic） and Sadie （Protestant）， and uses the story to educa I bought this and the Kevin and Sadie sequel （Across the Barricades） for my school library to add to our stock of stories about Ireland and Irish history。 As with decolonising Black history， a lot of Irish history is largely ignored in British schools and yet it is also an integral part of our shared history。As for the book itself， it vividly describes the tension between the Protestants and the Catholics in the rivalry between Kevin （Catholic） and Sadie （Protestant）， and uses the story to educate the reader about the history of the conflict。 It also shows that not everyone is so divided and it will be interesting to see how the author follows up with that in her sequel。 。。。more

Mariele ，

This book is 50 years old， and Northern Ireland is still a bone of contention。 If you are new to the topic of the Troubles， the novel gives you a good idea of what life was like in the 70s for a working class kid from Belfast。 I am not the target group for this book， but I can see why it’s so popular， especially as middle school reading material。 It’s short enough and provides some age-appropriate historical context。 （It also features some very old-fashioned gender roles。） However， if you not a This book is 50 years old， and Northern Ireland is still a bone of contention。 If you are new to the topic of the Troubles， the novel gives you a good idea of what life was like in the 70s for a working class kid from Belfast。 I am not the target group for this book， but I can see why it’s so popular， especially as middle school reading material。 It’s short enough and provides some age-appropriate historical context。 （It also features some very old-fashioned gender roles。） However， if you not a teenage reader， you might get easily annoyed by the main characters and their attitudes。 Sadie and Kevin are 14-15 years old， and they are rather thoughtless， self-righteous and full of attitude。 As teenagers are。 In the second novel， set three years later， they are both more mature and reasonable， and I was less annoyed reading about them。 The story is about a prank whose implications quickly escalate。 I felt sorry for those kids， having to grow up in a civil war – like situation， imbued with sectarian hatred。 I’d say the story is largely impartial， trying to present the prejudices harboured equally on both sides。 However， for me it was mostly Sadie and her attitude that was hard to stand。 I’ll always be on the side of the underdog， so her sense of entitlement bothered me a great deal。 I mean， come on， she's 14， she walks into someone else's house in the middle of the night， vandalizes their property， and no one thinks it proper to punish her for it because oh well， it was only a Catholic family's house。 Then the Catholics retaliate。 And so on and so forth， and that's how it goes in Belfast。 Fifty years on， the Vatican's grip on Ireland has imploded， but English nationalism continues its toxic marches。 。。。more

Natalie Barnes ，

I'm definitely not the demographic for this book。 But it handles the subject matter expertly and taught me a thing or two about The Troubles that I wasn't already aware of。 I'm definitely not the demographic for this book。 But it handles the subject matter expertly and taught me a thing or two about The Troubles that I wasn't already aware of。 。。。more

Michelle ，

This wasn't necessarily BAD but I expected a bit more plot from 127 pages。 Also， I didn't like Sadie nor Kevin。 Brede was cool tho This wasn't necessarily BAD but I expected a bit more plot from 127 pages。 Also， I didn't like Sadie nor Kevin。 Brede was cool tho 。。。more

Megan ☾ Michaels ，

I knew very little about the tensions between Protestant and Catholic groups during the Troubles before I went into this book and I think it's very sad that children were brought up （on both sides） to hate other people who did not share the same beliefs as they did。 This book is aimed at "tweens" but the writing is great and the plot engaging。 Looking forward to reading the next installments！ I knew very little about the tensions between Protestant and Catholic groups during the Troubles before I went into this book and I think it's very sad that children were brought up （on both sides） to hate other people who did not share the same beliefs as they did。 This book is aimed at "tweens" but the writing is great and the plot engaging。 Looking forward to reading the next installments！ 。。。more

Carol Lawrie ，

As good as i remembered from school 37 years ago ！！

Noirita （inoirita） ，

Set in 1970s Northern Ireland， this is one of the pioneer young adult fictions and the first book by Joan Lingard in her Kevin and Sadie series。Kevin McCoy is from a Catholic family whereas Sadie Jackson is a protestant。 They had completely different kind of families and different kind of traditions but deep inside they discover they are alike in their thoughts and desires。 The story seems to be like in a classic Romeo Juliet kind of setting， but ultimately it unfolds in a way that Romeo and Jul Set in 1970s Northern Ireland， this is one of the pioneer young adult fictions and the first book by Joan Lingard in her Kevin and Sadie series。Kevin McCoy is from a Catholic family whereas Sadie Jackson is a protestant。 They had completely different kind of families and different kind of traditions but deep inside they discover they are alike in their thoughts and desires。 The story seems to be like in a classic Romeo Juliet kind of setting， but ultimately it unfolds in a way that Romeo and Juliet would have done only if they were a bit smarter。Women are portrayed to be as strong as men and the members of both of these two religious groups are fiercely loyal and passionate。Suspense， tension and violence are filled in the story， but it's a book that'll make us question the things that we strongly believe in and why do we believe in it。 Kevin and Sadie are much more than just two teenagers whose initial resentment towards each other turns to love eventually breaking all barriers。Joan Lingard's writing style is so articulate even if she is portraying one of the age old conflicts of mankind。 One of the best pieces of Young Adult fiction I've probably read and I simply cannot wait to indulge in the other books of this series。 A must read if you love this genre。 。。。more

Lynne Lawson ，

This is an excellent book。 I first read it at primary school （only 20 years ago 🙈） in Glasgow and decided to re-read it alongside my 10year old reading it。 This is a very important book and any young adult living in the U。K。 today should read it。 Unfortunately， it’s as relevant today as it was when it was written and gives a brilliant （but somewhat basic insight） into the politics of Northern Ireland。 Belfast has come a long long way since the Troubles and is such a lively and vibrant city full This is an excellent book。 I first read it at primary school （only 20 years ago 🙈） in Glasgow and decided to re-read it alongside my 10year old reading it。 This is a very important book and any young adult living in the U。K。 today should read it。 Unfortunately， it’s as relevant today as it was when it was written and gives a brilliant （but somewhat basic insight） into the politics of Northern Ireland。 Belfast has come a long long way since the Troubles and is such a lively and vibrant city full of beautiful people。 However， I do believe that it will never escape from the memory of its sad， violent and troubled history。 。。。more

Raph ，

Bought it in The Ulster Museum。 Really enjoyable reading。 Excellent for teens。

Stephanie O'Neill ，

I remember doing this book in school and I loved it。 In fact， I think I may buy it and read it again。

Rich Lambe ，

I read this book in primary school and felt nostalgic enough to give it another go。 It focuses on the Protestant/Catholic divide in Northern Ireland through the eyes of four teenagers。Well worth a read。

Diana ，

I just really love this book and series。 I last read it more than five years ago， and I loved it then， and I still love it now。 It's about a very serious and sad topic while also being lighthearted in many ways。 Also I'd forgotten how short it was。 It took me less than an hour。 I just really love this book and series。 I last read it more than five years ago， and I loved it then， and I still love it now。 It's about a very serious and sad topic while also being lighthearted in many ways。 Also I'd forgotten how short it was。 It took me less than an hour。 。。。more

Lisa ，

I haven't read this book in years and so perhaps my review is a little out of date BUT it is a novel that has a strong place in my heart。 I read it when I was young and it was my first 'love story'。 The fact it touches on the troubles of Ireland is an added bonus as this is something that has always been of interest to me。 Sadie is an excellent character and it's interesting to watch her change views， opinions etc。 during the course of the book。I recently purchased the series in a 'all-in-one bo I haven't read this book in years and so perhaps my review is a little out of date BUT it is a novel that has a strong place in my heart。 I read it when I was young and it was my first 'love story'。 The fact it touches on the troubles of Ireland is an added bonus as this is something that has always been of interest to me。 Sadie is an excellent character and it's interesting to watch her change views， opinions etc。 during the course of the book。I recently purchased the series in a 'all-in-one book' form and hope to read it again soon。 。。。more

Elegale ，

Read this in 2014 as a class study novel。 Very interesting and this is totally irrevelant， but I used to ship Kevin and Sadie /// >v< /// such a profound story。 This is the book that still got me saying "eejit" sometimes。 I remember that I also read the second book， but was disappointed it wasn't as good as this。 It could do well as a standalone really， but then there's like 4 more books。。。。。 O_o``*Sidenote: there's book cover not seen here that I liked。 It's green at the borders and has two o Read this in 2014 as a class study novel。 Very interesting and this is totally irrevelant， but I used to ship Kevin and Sadie /// >v< /// such a profound story。 This is the book that still got me saying "eejit" sometimes。 I remember that I also read the second book， but was disappointed it wasn't as good as this。 It could do well as a standalone really， but then there's like 4 more books。。。。。 O_o``*Sidenote: there's book cover not seen here that I liked。 It's green at the borders and has two old black-and-white photographs of a dark-haired boy and blonde girl。* 。。。more

Frances ，

I ran across this at the Ulster Museum in Belfast and found a copy through interlibrary loan。 Its handling of the conflict is superficial， which is unsurprising in a book for teens （and one written nearly 50 years ago， so it reads much younger）， but it's a fascinating look into daily life in Belfast in the 1960s。 The extreme latitude the kids have seems a little far-fetched even for the time， and some incidents that at least later in the Troubles would be taken very seriously are brushed off， bu I ran across this at the Ulster Museum in Belfast and found a copy through interlibrary loan。 Its handling of the conflict is superficial， which is unsurprising in a book for teens （and one written nearly 50 years ago， so it reads much younger）， but it's a fascinating look into daily life in Belfast in the 1960s。 The extreme latitude the kids have seems a little far-fetched even for the time， and some incidents that at least later in the Troubles would be taken very seriously are brushed off， but I can't say for certain how accurate those aspects are。 。。。more

Anna ，

I read another book in the series when I was a teenager （Into Exile）， so I thought I'd read the entire series now。 I like Joan Lingard's books， including the Kevin and Sadie series。 I like how she provides context and explanation for the different sides， the history， and so on。 It helps me， as an English person， gain a little more understanding。 I read another book in the series when I was a teenager （Into Exile）， so I thought I'd read the entire series now。 I like Joan Lingard's books， including the Kevin and Sadie series。 I like how she provides context and explanation for the different sides， the history， and so on。 It helps me， as an English person， gain a little more understanding。 。。。more

Hannah Carway ，

I really enjoyed this book and I thought it was a very different type of book that I would read but I thoroughly enjoyed it。 I would like if it was a bit longer but other than that I loved it。 I would recommend this book！！

Trish at Between My Lines ，

I love this series now just as much as I did 30 years ago。 What makes me sad is that hatred and bigotry over religion is just as topical now as it was then。So watching Kevin and Sadie break boundaries gladdens my heart。 They were my second relationship that I shipped hard （Anne and Gilbert were first） and their story sucks me in and makes me feel all the tender thoughts。 Which is a lovely antidote to the gritty， violence filled world they live in。Now to ransack my house to find the rest as the s I love this series now just as much as I did 30 years ago。 What makes me sad is that hatred and bigotry over religion is just as topical now as it was then。So watching Kevin and Sadie break boundaries gladdens my heart。 They were my second relationship that I shipped hard （Anne and Gilbert were first） and their story sucks me in and makes me feel all the tender thoughts。 Which is a lovely antidote to the gritty， violence filled world they live in。Now to ransack my house to find the rest as the series as I believe they are out of print。Note: if you live in Ireland， you can get the first two books as audiobooks from the library via BorrowBox。 。。。more

Nida ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 It was just amazing！ I really enjoyed reading the book！ The conflicts between both sides came to life and it was like I was part of them！ It was brilliantly constructed and a real excitement！ One of the best books I have read in a while！

Martha ，

I'd been looking forward to reading this book for a while and the negative rating reflects my disappointment。While this book was good in several respects （it was short， was factual， etc。） it also had downfalls which for me， unfortunately， were a bit more prominent than it's good aspects。1。 Cutting to the chase， I didn't like the low-key sexism。 Of course， I take into consideration that it was written in the 70s。 And honestly， I don't mind it that much， but a couple of things just got on my nerve I'd been looking forward to reading this book for a while and the negative rating reflects my disappointment。While this book was good in several respects （it was short， was factual， etc。） it also had downfalls which for me， unfortunately， were a bit more prominent than it's good aspects。1。 Cutting to the chase， I didn't like the low-key sexism。 Of course， I take into consideration that it was written in the 70s。 And honestly， I don't mind it that much， but a couple of things just got on my nerves， such as Mrs Jackson making the comment "a woman is nothing without her kitchen"。I could rant about how ridiculous this idea is， but I'll save you that。There are a couple of other examples， like comments Kevin made， and the fact that Mr and Mrs McCoy left Brede in charge in charge when they were away despite the fact that Kevin was at least two years older than her。 Why？ Because Brede is a girl。2。 It's always the CATHOLICS making trouble。 It's always the Nationalists starting it。 And maybe this is me looking too deeply into it。 Maybe this is me being butt hurt and missing the point。 Or maybe it's lazy writing。And don't get me wrong， it's not the fact that it's painting nationalists in a bad light and therefore giving good little Protestant girl Sadie an excuse for revenge。 If it was the other way round and loyalists were the ones causing the trouble， the ones sparking it all off， I would be just as rubbed up。 This book should be common ground， should be showing that both sides are as good and as bad as each other， and therefore that neither side is good or bad。 By having Kevin McCoy （a nationalist） sparking it all off， and then continuing to cause all the trouble， it refuses to do this and in the end is an oxymoron to itself。Whether the author is a loyalist and did this unwittingly as a result of internalized prejudices or she is a nationalist and did it to show she was not favouring the Catholics I do not know and do not wish to find out。 It doesn't matter。 The point is that it's there and that it shouldn't be。 Not amused Lingard。3。 The characters aren't well written， aren't well created and aren't believable。And no， I'm not being too harsh。Sure， you could argue that it is only a short novel， that the characters were only being established， but that isn't good enough。 There were plenty of opportunities for Lingard to make her characters - or at least Kevin and Sadie - more wholesome， yet she did not。Sadie is， quite honestly， a bitch。 She complains about her "best friend" behind her back， dislikes her "best friends" parents， sparks a feud with a lad from another street， insults a minister， burns down a kitchen （and doesn't get punished？）。 I could go on， but I am not going to because I don't think I could stand to hate her more than I already do。 She's one dimensional， and it's glorified - praised even - when she's snarky， when she fights back， when really it's unbearable。 There were some points during the story。 There some points during the story where I just really wanted to jump in and give her a slap。Kevin is a little more bearable and innocent， despite his tough facade （for example， when his parents were away， he hosted a party， where there was coca cola and a fiddle player。 I think this is quite sweet， really）。 But there is that point I made earlier about him continuously provoking loyalists， and him teasing Sadie when his mates quite literally captured her and she was trying to fight back。And then there were the odd comments here and there like "They divided the area up between them， giving Linda the smallest portion"， which are completely unnecessary。 Why give Linda the smallest portion？ And why even mention it？ Bits and pieces like this made me wonder if Lingard was deliberately trying to get the reader to dislike all of her characters。 The only vaguely likable ones for me were Brede （"You won't order me into the kitchen， Kevin McCoy"） and Tommy （because he cares about his sister）。This is only a short list in terms of numbers， but are three very important features in the book。 They add tone to it， they are a very large part of it， and they cannot be ignored。I have to say that overall the only part I liked was the ending （and no I'm not being sardonic。 Well。。。mostly）。 It was sweet， reminded me of a trip into Bangor with two of my friends， and there seemed to be some actual character development。I accidentally bought Across the Barricades first， and am hoping that it is better， that this one was just the straggly beginning。If not， and it is just as bad， I don't think I'll be reading anymore Kevin and Sadie books。 。。。more

Kirsty ，

Interesting read。 Looking forward to the follow up。

Frances ，

This book， depicting teenagers from both sides of the religious divide in the week leading up to "The Twelfth"， was published in 1970。 Much of the underlying tension is familiar today， so I'm not sure just how much the political climate in Northern Ireland has changed since then， despite our fragile peace。 This is a really enjoyable and topical read。 This book， depicting teenagers from both sides of the religious divide in the week leading up to "The Twelfth"， was published in 1970。 Much of the underlying tension is familiar today， so I'm not sure just how much the political climate in Northern Ireland has changed since then， despite our fragile peace。 This is a really enjoyable and topical read。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Twelfth Day of July: A Kevin and Sadie Story

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Twelfth Day of July: A Kevin and Sadie Story&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Twelfth Day of July: A Kevin and Sadie Story&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0