Skilfully told from a child’s viewpoint
- Book: A Map of the Sky
- Location: North Yorkshire
- Author: Claire Wong
Beautifully told from the point of view of an 11-year-old, this book captures perfectly the time between childhood and adolescence. Kit is thrown into the world of adults yet makes his own assumptions about what grown-ups mean. I love how he tries to solve other people’s problems by setting himself quests, seeing himself in the role of Odysseus or King Arthur – quests where he almost succeeds but misunderstandings lead to a worsening of the situation if anything. His friendship with Beth is heart-warming and at the centre of everything is Beth’s map of places and activities to show her unborn child when her illness leaves her unable to do so physically. Throughout it all, I was struck by the lack of communication from Kit’s father but it makes the ending more satisfying that there is almost no contact between them. There are some lovely descriptions of the Yorkshire coast but if it weren’t for the mention of Whitby, it could be any coastline so I wasn’t immediately drawn into the location as much as I’d hoped.
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