Posted on: 30/09/2021
This month, with the nights drawing in, the falling of the leaves and a distinct drop in temperature, change is afoot. And it brings with it the familiar: cosy evenings, hunkering down for the autumn with some good books and a sense that all is as it should be. A sense of belonging can also contribute to this feeling of well-being, and it’s been delightful to be in schools to see in-person assemblies taking place again along with live visits, trips and other extracurricular activities in recent weeks: all things that promote togetherness and feelings of belonging. Experiencing a sense of belonging to someone, however, can be a different kettle of fish entirely - those who feel beholden to another are at risk of loss of identity and breaking free from this can be difficult. The courage to make change, to know what a healthy sense of belonging is and to live as one’s authentic self are central themes to this month’s review... all with a glorious golden thread of magic that ripples through the pages.
Change Sings: A Children’s Anthem by Amanda Gorman, illustrated by Loren Long (Penguin Books Ltd, 21st September 2021)
This long-awaited poem by the inaugural poet Amanda Gorman, illustrated by the unquestioningly perceptive illustrator, Loren Long is astonishingly brilliant: it is both powerful and empowering; hopeful and hope-filling. The steady, rhythmic quality of the lines is like a heart’s steady beat, keeping time while change streams in: I’m a chant that rises and rings. There is hope where my change sings.
Written before Gorman performed her powerful and moving poem, The Hill We Climb at US president Biden’s inauguration earlier this year, she wanted to empower children to set about making change, no matter what the outcome of the election. But now she’s become the very fabric of change - at just 22 years of age - with global fame and, we think, the platform from which to encourage others not to make a taller fence but instead fight to build a better bridge.
Long’s exquisite illustrations with his characteristic use of gentle colour contrasts with the vibrancy of other pages that carry a stronger message. The whole message is strong though - delivered by both the words and the illustrations: be the change you want to see.
Now that live assemblies are finally permitted again then maybe this will be an anthem we hear ringing out in our schools? We think that this poem would be perfect to share as a whole-school text given that there are so many angles from which it could be explored.
Aarti & the Blue Gods by Jasbinder Bilan, (Chicken House, 2nd September 2021)
Deeply thrilling, intense and moving is this new book from acclaimed author of Tamarind & the Star of Ishta. Aarti, adopted by her aunt as a baby has lived on the island (in Scotland but precisely where is unknown) with only her aunt for company for as long as she can remember. Before that, she remembers nothing. The only thing she knows to be her truth is that her parents have died. And although her Aunt Amelie must be kind, seeing as Aarti has been looked after by her since babyhood and that she was saved from… well, something but Aarti isn’t sure what, the aunt places conditions on how much affection to give Aarti; her moods change like the weather and she certainly seems to believe that Aarti should be unquestioningly grateful in that damaging, ‘After all I’ve done for you’ guilt-trip kind of way. But how much has Aunt Amelie really done to nurture and nourish her niece? Aarti Is isolated from the ‘real’ world. Is it all so bad out there that Amelie feels as though she must shelter Aarti? Then there’s the mystery surrounding what happened to Aarti’s parents. Can an old and well-loved toy bunny rabbit (found discarded in a locked room that Aarti has been forbidden to enter) provide the key to unlocking Aarti’s past? She certainly knows that the rabbit belongs to her when just holding it evokes fleeting and fragmented memories. Then, when Aunt Amelie slips and falls to her death, Aarti is left quite alone (or so she thinks) and yet, finding her mettle, realises that there is a certain freedom in this without the controlling and unpredictable behaviour she’s had to endure. When kindly Euan appears, at first weak from being seemingly washed up in a storm, Aarti is galvanised into action and filled with a great sense of hope. Together they work to leave the island but having found a boat – one that seems to have triggered the most powerful of flashbacks in Aarti – all is not plain sailing. Aarti begins to wonder not who Euan is but what he might be, for he seems to be at one with the water. Their rescuers, in the form of a kindly fisherman and his wife, cannot actually see Euan at all. Has he really been left out at sea or is he an extension of Aarti’s memories and a hidden, locked away world that she, and only she, can see?
Perfect for children in UKS2 who enjoy adventure, mystery and the kind of story that is as startling as it is comforting.
Fireborn: Twelve and the Frozen Forest by Aisling Fowler (Harper Collins, 30th September 2021)
In this debut adventure, the weapons are medieval; the themes Viking-legend-esque and the dangers plenty: ogres, Ygrex, wraiths… Known only by their numbers, the students in this fantastical world have forsaken all blood-ties and left all that they know behind: they’ve pledged themselves to the Hunting Lodge. For the Huntling known only as ‘Twelve’, the Hunters are now family, yet the going is hard and expectations are high: weapons-master, Victory, even throws stones at recruits whilst they train in order to sharpen both wit and reflex! What’s more, nobody ever wants to partner with Twelve: she is fierce and perceived as difficult, struggling to fit in. The only one who seems to truly be on her side is Widge – her squirrel. But she has more reason than most for her struggles as her family have died – in fact, were murdered - and it is her need to avenge them that spurs her on. When it comes to the recruit known as Five, the antagonism Twelve feels towards him is palpable but when situation after situation throws them together, they must learn to cooperate. Can Twelve learn that situations change and that we can find a place to belong? And will she learn to trust again, especially Seven, who needs a place to belong just as much as Twelve does?
A perfect blend of fast-moving action and more poignant, gentler sections is this first novel in what promises to be a breath-taking series. What an utter triumph and ‘must-read’ for lovers of adventure (especially of the His Dark Materials or Percy Jackson ilk) in UKS2.
Posted in: Literature Review
