Norah Day lives in temporary accommodation, relies on foodbanks for dinner, and doesn’t have a mum. But she’s happy enough, as she has a dad and a mini zoo of rescued wildlife to care for.
Adam Sinclair lives with his parents in a nice house with a private tutor and everything he could ever want. But his life isn’t perfect - far from it. He’s stuck at home recovering from cancer with an overprotective mum and no friends.
When a nest of baby birds brings them together as an animal rescue team, Adam and Norah discover they’re not so different after all. Can they solve the mystery of Norah’s missing mother together? And can their teamwork save their zoo of rescued animals from the rising flood?
I'm delighted to be hosting the blog tour for Norah's Ark by Victoria Williamson today. Many thanks to Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me and Neem Tree Press for sending me a copy of the novel.
20% of the author royalties for Norah's Ark will be donated to Shelter.
I work as a teaching assistant in a primary school where I run a weekly library club. I'm always looking out for new books to recommend to the children but I also enjoy learning what they like and what entices them to pick up a book. Animal stories are hugely popular and many children tell me they want to read about the characters having adventures. Norah's Ark features both and is an exciting, emotional tale but Victoria Williamson's sensitive handling of a number of topics ensures it is also a thought-provoking read which is likely to inspire a number of conversations and observations.
The vibrant narrative is shared between two children of the same age but from very different backgrounds. It's immediately apparent that Norah doesn't have an easy life and her first-person chapters are engagingly bittersweet. She is resolute and deeply compassionate, worries about her dad and loves to rescue animals amidst the chaos of their hand-to-mouth existence. It's impossible not to warm to this likeable girl who struggles at school but is keenly perceptive and delightfully witty. Meanwhile, Adam comes from a more privileged background and there are some interesting scenes where they begin to understand their respective difficulties. His sense of frustration is almost palpable as his dreams of returning to the sort of life he had before he was diagnosed with cancer are repeatedly thwarted by his over-protective mum. It's clear throughout that she isn't handling his recovery as well as she should but Victoria Williamson makes sure readers realise why she behaves as she does. Adam is a sympathetic, intelligent child and the friendship which develops between the pair is believable throughout the various challenges they face.
Norah's troubles are described with a real understanding of the snowball effect which occurs as individuals and families are forced to deal with job losses, the resulting financial issues and eventually homelessness and hunger. Her dad's struggles to find and hold down work and the dreadfully obstructive, difficult bureaucracy which is quick to penalise user mistakes but slow to rectify its own errors is explained in an easy to follow manner while topics such as addiction and bullying are also covered sensitively. Adam's lack of confidence after gaining weight during his cancer treatment, and the sadness he feels due to being away from other children and his beloved swimming for so long adds a further layer to proceedings. His worries about his family and the misplaced guilt he experiences is really quite poignant and provides yet another talking point.
Of course, as important as these themes are, it's also vital that children are enthused by the storyline itself and the book is packed with secrets, misunderstandings and drama - including a nerve-racking rescue scene. Animal-lovers will adore Bingo the dog and Lady the cat and root for them as much as the human characters. The only small point I would raise is that early in the book Norah mentions that dad has told her that Santa isn't real; she adds that he often lies and so there is probably enough ambiguity here but adults unsure of how their audience may react might prefer to skip those lines. That’s a very minor observation, however, and Norah's Ark is a beautifully empathetic, inclusive story filled with excitement and hope. I thoroughly recommend it.
Norah's Ark is published by Neem Tree Press and can be purchased from their website, bookshop.org, Hive, Waterstones, Amazon or your favourite independent bookshop.
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About the Author
Thanks for the blog tour support x
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