Orion ISBN: 978510103506 £6.99
The reader is taken on two journeys in the latest book from Carnegie Medal Shortlisted Author, Zana Fraillon. One journey takes place in the real world, where plucky 10 year old Twig is searching for his missing Da – our protagonist is joined by Flea, another waif, as they search an urban landscape not unlike a Dickensian city with feral children, smog and distant swamplands. However, Fraillon has written this town with a twist – this is Dickens in Gotham city – with nightly curfews, a military style Border Protection, warring gangs and general lawlessness…it’s an unfriendly dark and forbidding place. The second journey Twig takes is through the Afterlife – at first not dissimilar to a theme park, (if theme parks were designed by Neil Gaiman), with signs declaring “You are safe and happy! Golden Gates ahead!” In this Afterlife journey, Twig is escorted by Kruuk, a skeleton raven and a host of other surreal characters, maps and a mysterious skeleton key.
The book switches between the everyday world and the Afterlife – each chapter helpfully illustrated by either black raven feathers or twinkling night stars and adept readers will enjoy the two stories as they sit alongside each other.
The Lost Soul Atlas is all ultimately about losing, searching and finding, the power of friendship, community and support and the author adds an interesting note at the end for the reader about the approximately 150 million children living on the streets in the world whose real life is one of darkness and brutality. The Lost Souls Atlas would definitely lead to an interesting discussion with children regarding this issue – so from surreal to social issues, this would be a useful gateway read.
Hilary Payn
