A quick few thoughts: Typical beautiful writing from a master storyteller. Atmospheric and emotional prose. Good for deep thinking readers as it's about grief, would be good to hand to a kid who has suffered loss. One of those books that adults love, but it takes special child to "get it." All in all, not the best example of this author's work because it's more of a niche topic. Begin with Skellig instead to get the full effect of this writer's gifts;-)

This was another curious tale indeed...and even now after having digested it fully, I'm still not quite sure about my feelings regarding it. What starts off as a story of a death (murder?) in a small, anything-but-quiet village, develops in turns and pages into a day of wandering, discovery, and possibility for our leading lad Davie. Now, how can he travel out and about when there may be a murder on the loose? Easy because as we soon find out, there is more than just one unknown out and about in Tyneside. All the troubles Davie unearths, all the turmoil boiling below and above the surface of the townspeople, all the curiosities and unusual circumstances encountered, are building to show Davie and us all for that matter, that yes...bad things happen, sometimes to less than bad people, but there is still marvelous things to be found, truths that need to be heard, and memories that need to be carried onward into our own futures.


**ARC received for review; opinions are my own ( )

*Book received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

One hot summer morning, only weeks after his father's death, Davie steps out his front door into the familiar streets of the Tyneside town that has always been his home. But this seemingly ordinary day takes on an air of mystery and tragedy as the residents learn that a boy has been killed. Despite the threat of a murderer on the loose, Davie turns away from the gossip and sets off toward the sunlit hill above town, where the real and imaginary worlds begin to blur around him. As he winds his way up the hillside, Davie sees things that seem impossible but feel utterly right, that renew his wonder and instill him with hope. Full of the intense excitement of growing up, David Almond's tale leaves both the reader and Davie astonished at the world and eager to explore it.

Unfortunately, this book was a bit of a miss for me. There really wasn't a lot of plot to follow. ( )

I feel as though this may be an unpopular opinion, and though this review will probably seem mostly negative, I will be sure to include some aspects I did enjoy, and please remember that this is all subjective. I may not have enjoyed it so much but I have no doubt that others will love it.

The writing was very nicely done, and whimsical, almost stream of conscious style. On that alone, I couldn't fault it. It would be a perfect summer read, especially if you're able to lay out on the grass under the sun and feel like you're there with the characters.

The issues I had with the plot itself were that... well, overall, it just felt like the author didn't fully commit to their story. There was a major plot point which I had expected, or hoped, to play more of a role in shaping the main characters actions and thoughts but it had next to no affect. The ending basically negated the presence of that particular plot point as well. I'm trying to hard to not spoil this.

The characters were a little washed out for my liking, though they had SO much potential. Wilf and Gosh could have been much stronger, as well as Davie. It's as though they let the plot lead them instead of leading themselves which took away a lot of the presence.

Overall it felt quite disconnected. I feel as though something like this may have worked better as a picture story book, a little more condensed and precise with imagery to complement it.

All in all, not a bad read, but not one of my favourites. I understand this is for young readers, but I feel like they could handle a bit more... strength. ( )

The book is written well but I question if it's written for the correct age group. I found a lot of characters, symbolism and content to probably be over the head of the reading audience the cover and book itself is being marketed for. It just doesn't quite seem to match. On the back it says for ages 12 and up but I'm not sure my students would be able to get into the book and see it in their heads. ( )