Day: August 12, 2015

Review: Friends for Life by Andrew Norriss

| Tasha

Friends for Life by Andrew Norriss

Friends for Life by Andrew Norriss

Released August 25, 2015.

One day when Francis goes outside to think in the bitter cold, he meets a girl named Jessica who doesn’t seem to feel the chill. He is shocked to find out that Jessica is a ghost and she is just as surprised because Francis is the first person whose been able to see her since she died. Francis doesn’t have any friends and is regularly bullied at school. He loves fashion and design, but keeps it as hidden as he can from those around him. Jessica though is delighted to find that he likes fashion, because she does too. Soon the two lonely teens are fast friends. When Andi moves in down the road, Francis’ mother asks Francis to meet her and talk to her about his school. Francis is very reluctant but then Andi comes over and is also able to see Jessica. A similar thing happens with Rupe a little later. But why can these people see Jessica and no one else? Could it have to do with Jessica’s death?

Norriss creates a modern ghost story here where there is little fright about seeing Jessica and a lot more friendship. The idea of a lonely and bullied teen loving having a ghost for a best friend is wonderfully refreshing. Their friendship evolves naturally as does that of the other teens who can see Jessica. While the book is fast moving, there is plenty of space to allow relationships to change and grow. As time passes and Jessica feels pressure to return to the site of her death earlier, everyone including the reader feels the tension build. The book shifts into a mystery to discover the cause of Jessica’s death in the hopes that it will help her. And yet, that same help may just be what causes her to leave forever. It’s a wonderful plot that has no simple answers.

My only quibble with the book is that the ending gets a little too much about telling and not showing. I would have loved less explanation and more demonstration of what is happening. At the same time, the weighty issues feel like they need real closure and the book does provide that. Bullying is put into its place as the teens discover that if they don’t care what someone says, it really has no impact on them and the bully moves along quickly. The power of friendship to change someone’s outlook is also shown clearly.

This British import is a fast read worthy of being shared and discussed in classes thanks to its engaging solution of friendship to combat bullying. Appropriate for ages 10-13.

Reviewed from ARC received from Scholastic.

Review: Orion and the Dark by Emma Yarlett

| Tasha

Orion and the Dark by Emma Yarlett

Orion and the Dark by Emma Yarlett (InfoSoup)

Orion is scared of a lot of things thanks to his big imagination, but the thing that he is most frightened of is the dark. He hates bedtime and spends the night watching for monsters and listening for scary noises. One night, he is so upset that he shouts at the dark to just go away! That’s when the Dark outside his window changed and became alive. It entered his room and Orion cautiously greeted him. Then the Dark invited Orion along on an adventure. First, the two explored the darkest and most frightening parts of Orion’s house together and it turned out that those places were a lot of fun. They faced the scary sounds in the darkness together and found out that they weren’t that frightening after all. Finally, they headed out into the darkest place of all, the night sky and there Orion discovered that not only wasn’t he scared of the Dark anymore, but they had become the best of friends.

Yarlett has written a dynamic picture book that does a lot to soothe fear of the dark. First, it turns the dark into a character who is warm, friendly and filled with stars. He’s also rounded and rather like a sparkling stuffed animal. There is certainly nothing to fear there. Then as they explore the dark places and noises together, readers and Orion realize that there is nothing to be afraid of there either. The ending of the book as they fly up into the night is magical and marvelous, offering another way to see the night.

The illustrations are done with plenty of humor. The paper switches as Orion thinks of things or plans to lined paper that makes it more like a school assignment. His ideas also show up in childlike crayon, including the fierce monsters that he imagines are in the closet. A couple of the pages have Dark’s arm as part of them, moving the arm makes the Dark shake hands with Orion, and really allows the Dark to greet the reader too.

Lovely illustrations that embrace the darkness of night combine with strong storytelling in this picture book that will have everyone wishing they too could make friends with the Dark. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from library copy.