Sweet Sixteen: summary for JAMB

About the novel

Sweet Sixteen (full title: Sweet Sixteen: A Coming of Age Story) is a short novel by Bolaji Abdullahi, a former journalist and former Minister of Youth Development and of Sports. It was published in 2017 by TND Press. JAMB used it as the Use of English novel for UTME 2019 and 2020.

The book has 7 chapters, each with a title: The Letter, The Drive, Work, The Gandhi Test, Dating, Stereotype and Beauty.

The story is told by Aliya Bello in the first person ("I"). She is in boarding school and can't wait to turn 16. On her sixteenth birthday her father gives her a long letter, one page for each year of her life. The letter brings back the many talks she has had with her father, and each chapter is built around one of those talks and one lesson.

The big message: parents and children should talk openly. Good values, self-respect and good choices are learned at home.

The author has said the book grew out of a real letter he wrote to his own daughter.

Chapter 1: The Letter

Aliya is in boarding school and longs to turn 16. To her, 16 is the age when you stop being a child.

Her family does not throw birthday parties. Instead, every year her father sends her a birthday card through the school principal, who is his friend.

Before her birthday, a boy named Bobo gives Aliya a teddy bear on Valentine's Day. Her father uses it to teach a lesson: a gift does not prove that someone loves you, and accepting a gift does not mean you owe the giver anything.

On her sixteenth birthday, Aliya receives a card, a digital camera and a 16-page letter from her father, titled "Letter to My Daughter". There is one page for each year of her life. Reading it, she starts to remember the many conversations they have had.

Chapter 2: The Drive

Aliya remembers the day she had her first period, at age 12. Her father took her out for a long drive so they could talk.

On the drive he spoke to her calmly about puberty, sex, pregnancy, bad friends and bad films. He wanted her to know the truth from him, not from the street.

On the road, Aliya saw young hawkers selling goods in traffic and said she envied their freedom. Her father then told her about his own childhood: he grew up poor and hawked on the streets as a boy. Life on the street is not freedom; it is hardship. He taught her to be grateful and to respect people who struggle.

Chapter 3: Work

This chapter is about careers and hard work.

Aliya first wanted to study medicine, but she cannot stand the sight of blood. After reading John Grisham's novels, she decides she wants to study law instead.

Her father does not force a career on her. He tells her to follow what she loves, and he quotes the poet Kahlil Gibran to show that children have their own lives and dreams. Parents should guide, not choose for them.

He also teaches her that hard work pays. Aliya works hard and raises her Chemistry grade from C to A.

Chapter 4: The Gandhi Test

Aliya's father gives her a simple way to know right from wrong, which he calls the Gandhi Test (after Mahatma Gandhi of India).

The test: if you would not mind other people knowing what you are doing, it is probably right. If you need to hide it, it is probably wrong.

He also teaches her about honesty, including honesty in exams, and about not letting other people control how you feel. Nobody can hurt you without your permission.

Chapter 5: Dating

This chapter is about love, crushes and dating as a teenager.

Aliya's father explains the difference between infatuation (a strong but passing attraction) and real love. Aliya sees this for herself: Bobo, who gave her the teddy bear, turns his attention to another girl, Morayo, and later moves to Ireland. Another boy, Zak, sends her a joking love note.

Some students at her school are suspended after a sex scandal. Aliya also explains to her father the secret slang teenagers use in their messages, such as KPC ("keep parents clueless"), HAK ("hugs and kisses") and KOTL ("kiss on the lips").

The lesson: take your time, respect your body, and talk to your parents.

Chapter 6: Stereotype

A television news report about a Boko Haram bombing in a market reminds Aliya of something her schoolmate Rebecca once said: that Muslims are violent and will go to hell.

Aliya's father teaches her that it is wrong to judge a whole group of people by the actions of a few. Then Aliya admits that she too had a stereotype about Christians.

The lesson: judge people one by one, by what they do, not by their religion or tribe. Religious tolerance builds peace.

Chapter 7: Beauty

Aliya is plump and has asthma. A Biology teacher makes fun of her weight by calling her "Latifat", and a schoolmate, Bunmi, also mocks her body. She feels hurt and ashamed.

Her father helps her build her self-esteem. He teaches that good character matters more than looks. He talks about skin bleaching, and about how different cultures see beauty differently, such as the "fattening rooms" of the Efik people and the fattening of girls in Mauritania.

He also tells the story of a slave who nursed his sick master, to show the power of kindness.

Aliya makes a decision: she will run for Head Girl, and she will give her school clinic a nebuliser to help students with asthma like her.

The book ends with her father's story of a hunter. It teaches that each generation must pass on to the next the good it received.

Main characters

• Aliya Bello: the narrator, 16. An only child, in boarding school. She has asthma and is teased about her weight. She wants to study law and plans to become Head Girl. Her father calls her "My First Lady".
• Mr Bello: Aliya's father, a journalist. He grew up poor and hawked as a child. Patient and wise; he loves books, plays chess and listens to the Malian musician Ali Farka Touré. He hates lies.
• Mrs Bello: Aliya's mother, a nurse. She met Mr Bello at a hospital. She gets angry quickly but cools down fast.
• Bobo (Tokunbo Alabi): the boy who gives Aliya a Valentine teddy bear. He later turns to Morayo and moves to Ireland.
• Morayo: the girl Bobo turns to.
• Zak: a boy who sends Aliya a joking love note.
• Akin: a playful boy who calls himself "King of boys".
• Rebecca: a schoolmate who says Muslims are violent.
• Bunmi: a schoolmate who mocks Aliya's weight.
• The Biology teacher: calls Aliya "Latifat" to make fun of her weight.
• The Principal: Mr Bello's friend, who passes on the birthday cards.

Themes and lessons

• Parent and child communication: the heart of the book. Mr Bello talks to his daughter about everything.
• Growing up: puberty, sex education, and the difference between a crush and love.
• Self-esteem and beauty: character matters more than looks. Body shaming and skin bleaching are wrong.
• Religious tolerance: don't judge a whole group by a few people.
• Honesty and hard work: the Gandhi Test; Aliya's Chemistry improves from C to A.
• Career choice: follow your passion; parents should guide, not force.
• Passing good things on: the hunter's story at the end.

Style: first person, told by Aliya, with many flashbacks to past conversations. Simple, warm language.

Quick facts for JAMB

• Author: Bolaji Abdullahi.
• Publisher: TND Press, 2017.
• Number of chapters: 7. First chapter: The Letter. Last chapter: Beauty.
• Narrator: Aliya Bello, in the first person.
• Birthday gifts: a card, a digital camera and a 16-page letter.
• The letter's title: "Letter to My Daughter".
• Bobo's real name: Tokunbo Alabi. He moved to Ireland.
• The Valentine gift from Bobo: a teddy bear.
• Aliya's illness: asthma. Her plan: to give the school clinic a nebuliser.
• Aliya's career: law (inspired by John Grisham), not medicine (she can't stand blood).
• Aliya's Chemistry grade went from C to A.
• Father: a journalist. Mother: a nurse.
• Father's favourite musician: Ali Farka Touré of Mali.
• The Gandhi Test: if you don't mind people knowing what you are doing, it is probably right.
• "King of boys": Akin.
• The Biology teacher called Aliya "Latifat".
• KPC means "keep parents clueless".
• The book ends with the story of a hunter.