Sunday 5 February 2023

THE NIGHT ANIMALS

 

 by Sarah Ann Juckes

 

                                           

An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.

Hello, and welcome to my weekend Book Review featuring Adventures in Middle-Grade Fiction.
 
(If you are here for a selfie, please feel free to scroll down....)
 

Before we get going, we have a quick news update from here in Upper Much-Mousing.

Sid Sparks, the village electrician, was rushed to the East Lambtonshire hospital on Thursday, having inadvertently got his wires crossed at the village telephone exchange. Doctors are keeping him over night, and say he'll be discharged in the morning. Until then, he is powering the coffee maker and staff microwave. Mrs Beedle, the telephonist at the exchange, suffered second-degree burns to her ears and will be off work for a fortnight, leaving at least two villages short of gossip.

Industrial disputes have reached the village. The local scout troop's upcoming Bob-A-Job week 'Big Spring Tidy' (named after the number of old mattresses and sofas retrieved from the roadsides) has been put on hold due to the cost of living strike.

Negotiations broke up earlier this week when the scoutmaster, the Reverend Pews, put a cap of 50 pence per task, a plate of rich tea biscuits, and squash on the table. The scouts had demanded a fee of £5 a job, hot chocolate, and those crunchy double-chocolate biscuits wrapped in gold foil. All are to be served on a tablecloth. Arbitrators from the Girl Guides are expected to propose a middle-ground offer of £1 a job, or £5 an acre for the extensive gardens, herb tea and a selection box of Tea Time biscuits.

And Finally, in other news, I can confirm reports that Mrs H was seen sporting bed hair in the middle of the day. Having attempted, unsuccessfully, to determine why the hot water heater wasn't working, she too electrocuted herself. No actual bodily harm was done, and Mrs Trimble, the mobile hairdresser, said the smell would pass and singeing has left no lasting damage.

Mrs H has just coughed politely and indicated I need to stop waffling and get on with the review.

This week we have a great book that has a strong and important message. It is fun, too, as the best Middle-grade books should be. So without further ado, or interruptions, here is our book of the week . . .





AUTHOR:  Sarah Ann Juckes

 

Cover art by:  Sharon King-Chai

 

Published by: Simon and Schuster

 

Publication date. Paperback:  OUT NOW!

 


Paperback ISBN:   978-1-3985-1092-0

 

Cover price for Paperback £7.99

 

Pages: 260

 

Age range: 9 and upwards


Any creatures? Yes, and not exactly. The relevance of that you'll find out!


 

 

SPOILER ALERT


Some as to plot direction and characters. 

 

 

Thank you to... 

  

I have Mrs H to thank for buying this for me. 

 

As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, been given by pals, or received in exchange for an impartial review. 

The books we review are those we like and feel our readers deserve to know about and that we hope they will enjoy. 

 

 

 

The plot


Year 5 student Nora Frost lives with her mum, Miri. Suffering from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Miri's life whilst off work is a series of good and bad days. Sadly they are mostly bad. Recovery, the doctors say, takes time. With Nora taking on a caring role, they get by. They are Fine. They DONT need any help and will get through it together, Miri says. And that is what 9-year-old Nora persuades herself and strives to achieve daily. 

 

Life is a series of notes on the front door for Nora when she comes home from school. If there is a note, it means she'll have to go elsewhere, stay with friends, or cook for herself. If there is life in the house, singing at breakfast, it means it's a good day. Nora craves those days as she and her mum get to do things together and go places. Though, there is the risk that crowds of people and noisy people will cause a relapse and send Miri into the deepest darkest of places.


When one dark night, Nora awakes to a fox sitting on her, "the paws on my chest like two solid nothings", things change. Not least because this is not a majestic creature of the woods that has somehow found its way into her bedroom, but a ghost fox. Equally as beautiful, with shimmering colour edges, the fox stays only briefly, not answering any of the questions Nora asks. 


Awaking to a 'good' day, Nora tells her mum, who dismisses the fox as a dream. Of course, Nora knows better. Nora spots the fox at school going behind a tree on the grounds. Come break time, she searches for the fox but falls foul of Joel, the year bully. In the ensuing playground confusion, Nora escapes and heads to the tree. Whilst not finding the fox, she finds Kwame, another year 5 student hiding from Joel.


Nora isn't in the mood for friends, or help, even if Kwame says they are the same and being bullied. But through circumstance (and Kwame's dogged persistence), they are drawn together, and a tentative friendship forms. It turns out Kwame frequently visits his granddad, who lives opposite Nora, to escape the bedlam in his own house caused by his four brothers.


As the story progresses, Nora is visited by other ghost creatures, invisible to anyone else, each seemingly steering her towards something, somewhere. With Kwame in tow, the adventure grows, with a series of incidents that sometimes include Joel. But there are also very real and earthly dangers they face. 


Through all this, Nora battles to understand and keep a lid on her life and mum's problem. Which eventually, inevitably, spills out at school. Kwame also faces a family crisis of his own. 


As this story is about the journey, I would be remiss in giving more of the plot away. Suffice it to say, it picks up pace and excitement and culminates with a surprising revelation and some very real, exotic, and not-so-exotic creatures. I loved the ending, and I think you will too.




So, what did we think?

 

We really enjoyed watching how elegantly and persuasively the author allowed things to unravel for Nora whilst at the same time showing the dawning realisation that something had to change. For us, this story's central theme is coping and the importance of asking for help. PTSD is a genuine disorder and very debilitating. Its effects on those around the sufferer are oft' overlooked. 


Whilst this is a pretty sad story for its portrayal of illness and the truth of what families go through, it is also very uplifting. The characters surrounding Nora, both adult and child, demonstrate ably what Nora and her mother need but reject out of misgivings and pride. 


We know from experience it is not the case that there are so many people that can be bothered or willing to offer help for various situations outside of their comfort zone, especially if it is outwardly rejected. That isn't to say people should just dive in and make matters worse. There are ways to help. In this story, Miri and Nora had both been to the doctors, but Miri had tried to tame the beast within herself and in so doing isolated Nora with her.


The real message in this book, for those in need and those with the time, resilience and patience to be there to help, is very real and relevant. The story becomes a meeting of ways. Of talking, and of acceptance on all sides and to varying degrees. Which all goes to make this book work on every level, and age.


The writer's style is pleasingly different, elegant and rewarding in its description. Not surprising when you realise Sarah is a writing tutor and mentor and works for Oxford University. She has also been long and short-listed for a few literary writing awards and nominated for the Carnegie Medal Award. 


Writing also for YA, Sarah's second book, The World Between Us, published in 2021, has already gone global with multiple translations. 

 

Sarah lives with her own (real) cat, and partner, in the English Cotswolds. 





So . . . . 



Crunch time. 


Such an important and warming story as this should be on every school librarian's and teacher's reading list. Like other books that deal with subjects that some have described as either 'not relevant' or 'awkward', like family death and grief, I recommend this for all parents and children. 

For a middle-grade book that deals with death and grief, Sadé and Her Shadow Beasts by Rachel Faturoti is a beautiful book that looks at Sade's method of dealing with her mother's death. It is a book we have read and were impressed with.




Want to buy a copy?

 

Please sail down to your local independent bookshop to get a copy. Ghostly beasts are optional, though I'm sure they would be allowed in. There are plenty of wonderful independents out there. Each shop waits to serve up whatever kind of mystery, fun and adventure you desire.

 


Sarah Ann Juckes' web page can be found HERE or type this: https://www.sarahannjuckes.com/

 

 

Simon and Schuster's web page can be found HERE or type this: https://www.simonandschuster.co.uk/

 

 

Sharon King-Chai's web page can be found HERE or type this: https://www.sharonkingchai.com/

 

 

 

I shall leave you with a selfie 🙂 We are joining the Sunday Selfies . . .

 

 

. . . hosted by Janet Blue from the Cat on My Head blog.
 

 




Till laters!

ERin


30 comments:

  1. Erin, that is a beautiful selfie. As We gazed at it, it almost seemed to Us for a moment as if you blinked!

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    1. Thanks, it was a rare thing but I just felt like posing for a shot. I may well have blinked. I certainly yawned soon after as I wanted my breakfast 🙂
      ERin

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  2. The book looks like fun but the goings-on report is even more fascinating!!

    Purrs,
    The Chans

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    1. Ah, yes, the much asked for news bulletin from the village. We get some wry goings on here, I can tell you. The book is good fun, and far better written than I can manage half an hour before posting the blog.
      ERin

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  3. That's a great selfie. We think that book sounds pawsome!

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    1. Thank you. It is really well put together, as well as being fun and full of meaning.
      ERin

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  4. ERin I am always on the look out for new reading material
    Thank you
    Hugs Cecilia

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    1. This is an interesting Middle-Grade read, and important for kids too. These books never existed a few years ago and now we have so many balanced and informative fun reads to share with children. I hope you get to read and share too.
      ERin

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  5. ERin I am always on the lookout for new reading material.
    Sorry if this post twice..first comment disappeared into a black hole or maybe you approve comments first
    Hugs Cecilia

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    1. No problem. I do validate all comments to sort out the spam. Thanks for commenting 🙂.
      ERin

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  6. You do look quite thoughtful, Erin, were you thinking about that book? It does sound like a great book to introduce young ones to what some adults and not a few younger ones and also animals face each day in their lives from past traumas.

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    1. It is so important to have these books out, to explain feelings are usually quite normal for kids, and that help is an ask away and is nothing to be ashamed of. As to the picture, well, I was slightly overdue a meal, so I was dreaming of that. 🙂
      ERin

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  7. Erin, we love your beautiful selfie. You did such a wonderful job of it.

    That book sounds terrific. It's definitely one we would like to read, so thank you for the thoughtful review.

    Finally, we sure hope Sid Sparks will be okay. We feel a little bad for giggling when you wrote "...until then, he is powering the coffee maker and staff microwave."

    Hugs to you and Mrs. H!

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    Replies
    1. Oh yes, that had me in giggles also. Sometimes writing the local news posts half an hour before posting is more fun than the weeks of reading and writing the reviews. We are so pleased you enjoyed the whole post.
      ERin

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  8. Erin! Darling! Furrst, you look marvelous darling!Your beauty has light up a dreary winter day for this Tabby cat. Sid Sparks sound like the purrfect person to have around if there is a power outage! And we do hope the Scouts and Grrl Guides (the Brownies are now called Sparks!) Work out their deals with Reverend Pews and that Ms H's hair survives. The book sounds amazing, I wonder if there are any ghost Foxes around here, I shall have to ask Midway Mike (but later he was awfully miffed that Kozmo and I woke him up to be the Ground Hog standin for our blog). Keep being awesome! Purrs, your #1 Fan Boy Marvelous Marv

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    Replies
    1. Here you go, so nice was you remark, I published the reply twice 😉.
      ERin

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  9. Oops, we just now realized we posted as Anonymous! It was me!!! ME!!! Marvelous Marv!

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    1. Ah-ha! I'll call the tracker dogs off trying to discover who this masked admirer is, and if you have plenty of land 😉 We are pleased we have helped to lift the mood. Maybe get your groundhog pal to read it too, well, after he's woken up again. Everything that can happen will in this village. Mark my words they'll be more shocking news just waiting to surface once the telephonist is fully recovered! 🙂
      ERin

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  10. Dang, we hope all the Village people get their affairs in order soon. That sounds like a really nice book and your selfie is wonderful sweet Princess!

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    1. They likely as not will be back to their usual ways and accident prone activities by next week, Brian. 🙂 Fun and supportive literature is just our bag.
      ERin

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  11. There's always so much going on in your neck of the woods! The book sounds amazing, and your selfie is very sweet indeed!

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    1. Aww, thanks. Great and valuable books always have a place and merit sharing. Yup, we sure do get some hairy moments in the village! 🙂
      ERin

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  12. What an interesting book! It sounds so relatable for young people who struggle with school, and parents.

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    1. Yes. Any child that is having to deal with this kind of situatio, and comes across this book, can at least know they can ask for help. That is invaluable for a segment of the community that used to be ignored in this area.

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  13. Charlee: "Hi Erin! Looking sharp as always! Hey, we are night animals too, aren't we, Chaplin?"
    Chaplin: "Yes we are. Rumor has it that's why we get locked out of the bedroom when it's time for the humans to sleep."

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    1. I'm definitely a night animal, well whilst theres food to be hunted down. After that I'm a sleep on a warm heated blanket kind of gal! 🙂
      ERin

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  14. Good heavens, we just don't know what happens in these places! The book sounds wonderful, and the subject is important for young adults. As one YA author told me about her book, some kids need a mirror and some kids need door, but they all need to get to know themselves and each other by reading stories. I still enjoy YA books!

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    1. Yes, many strange things go on in our village, but then there are many strange folk 😉. Yes, these types of books are incredibly valuable. Where adults had counselling, kids were mostly ignored. Now they can see the way forward and hopefully act on it.
      ERin

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  15. That is a lovely selfie. It sounds like it has been an electrifying time in the village! That sounds like a good book, and a lovely review.

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    1. Hehehe, love that comment! The village is always just a bit 'off grid' you might say, 🙂. Thank you, it was lovely to read, and made me think a lot.
      ERin

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