Aimed at 9-13 year olds, Hardknocks, Hiccups and Headstands is a family based mystery with a difference. In her first novel, Ali draws on her childhood experience to create an exciting, engaging and emotional journey of two sisters standing up to life's hard knocks with humour, mischief and determination. If you like books that deal openly with real life problems and test all your emotional, then Hardknocks, Hiccups and Headstands will not disappoint. In the book, it is easy for the reader to identify with sisters Libby and Janet as they take matters into their own hands to prove to Dad that their childminder is not everything she claims to be. Far from being perfect themselves, the girls have a few tricks, many of which end up going wrong and landing them in even more trouble with Dad who is desperately trying to keep his important job whilst looking after his daughters. You will be gripped until the end when an exciting and chaotic series of mistaken identities, false arrests and confused paramedics eventually provide some vital clues. Hardknocks, Hiccups and Headstands may make you cry, will hopefully make you laugh and could teach you a thing or two about headstands.