I loved it and the celebration of Malay culture without it feeling like it ever took centre stage.more Pitched as middle-grade in the States but here, in the UK, possibly better pitched for Y6+ although some wise and deep children will be ready. Pink, as Suraya's pelesit, is a super creation - years of twisted rage and spite have been carved into him by her grandmother but Suraya offers a new insight into life which it struggles to understand. Full of complex themes around redemption, folklore, family, forgiveness with an Indonesian setting that feels like a liminal space between the old and new. What will Suraya do when she suddenly finds she has the power of retribution and an ability to punish those who hurt her through the pelesit?Ī story told in three plots (as I read it), Alkaf's novel is absolutely excellent. Additionally, secondary school is full of manipulative, nasty bullies who enjoy tormenting our protagonist. Suraya has lived a deeply lonely childhood with a mother who is ice-cold (wrapped in dark, family secrets) and emotionally distant. From her earliest days, Suraya is saved multiple times by her loyal, if not darkly-tainted, companion and when the time for bonding of blood arrives she seems happy to have the company. With the death of her grandmother, Suraya, then very young, finds herself (unknown to her at the time) gifted with a pelesit - a familiar who will do anything to protect its new charge. With the death of her grandmother, Suraya, then very young, finds herse Chosen as our #BooksforBrookes bookclub discussion and was very well received. It's a delight precursor to Aiken's hugely successful Wolves of Willoughby Chase which would become her most well-known story.moreĬhosen as our #BooksforBrookes bookclub discussion and was very well received. After being taught how to speak to animals by a venerable old rat called Nicodemus, Michael and his feline companion, Mickle, gather all the friends, tricks and cunning they can to overthrow the enemy. The only heroes that can save it are a young Prince, a horse, a bat, a cat and a raucous gathering of rooks. The Kingdom of Astalon has an ancient enemy that is returning from hiding deep underground in order to exact revenge after decades in hiding. Tickling a lot of fairy tale tropes around young male characters heading off to meet their destiny and supported by a range of animal helpers due to h Tickling a lot of fairy tale tropes around young male characters heading off to meet their destiny and supported by a range of animal helpers due to his kindly nature, Kingdom is Aiken's first novel for children full of the dry comedy and high jinks that she is well known for. I think he knows that, when they return with each new read, they will find something new and exciting to catch their imagination. This graphic novel thrums with layers of meaning and it's clear that Watson is catering here to many readers who will arrive at Chilblain Hall with different levels of understanding and life experience. Anyone who has a lovely of books that sit between those liminal spaces of reality and fantasy that is similar to the work of Aiken and Wynne Jones wil Anyone who has a lovely of books that sit between those liminal spaces of reality and fantasy that is similar to the work of Aiken and Wynne Jones will love spending time with Watson's 'Glister' and to think that it's too high-brow for younger readers then misunderstands how clever and adept young, independent readers can be.Ĭollating together four stories which focus on Glister Butterworth and her life at Chilblain Hall, this series sees our eponymous hero as she seeks to understand, relate to and then save her family home which is very much like Hogwarts with regards to its ever-changing architecture and residents but, perhaps, with a touch more Trollope to it.įrom teapots haunted by frustrated writers, to a literal family tree that blooms past members, to a wonderfully folkloric encounter with the fey-folk in which Glister fights for the return of her missing mother, Watson has created a rich and complex narrative, presented in clear lines and muted tones (each book is coloured in a single colour).
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