A Rite of Passage (Jackdaw Summer - David Almond)

Member Name: cyberem78

Product:	Jackdaw Summer - David Almond
Date:	07/11/09 (42 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Well written, intelligent writing.

Disadvantages: None.

My twelve year old neice gave me this children's book to read after enjoying the novel herself. She passed it on with a hearty recommendation of the writing and a hint that I'd appreciate the setting of the novel - our native North East.

I have heard of but not read author David Almond's famous and much acclaimed novel 'Skellig'. This 2009 novel, 'Jackdaw Summer', contains an extract of 'Skellig' at the very end and was impressive enough to make me want to read more of the author's works. Almond was raised in Tyneside and lives now in Northumberland. The landscape, history and culture of Tyneside and old and modern Northumbria are vital to his stories. Almond is skilled at being able to capture the spirit of the area through his characters speech and behaviour as well as in his descriptions of the unique and often ancient landmarks and landscapes. The name-dropping of towns and places can be laid on a little thickly though. I particularly love how he transcends time and situation by bringing ancient battlefields to life in the imagination of his characters. Almond's obsession with the Roman Wall and ancient ruins means the atmosphere is imbued with some kind of magical feeling. History is never dead or musty in this story - you can almost hear the battle cries of old soldiers as they rush to defend their land and lives. Although Almond's characters are very well drawn and are certainly products of their environments I'd have to say his portrayal of 'Geordie' characters is obviously skewed a little bit by the author's middle-class lifestyle and ideology. I don't feel that he fully captures the grittiness or the rugged Geordie of some of his characters.

The story is firmly set in modern times and Almond infuses his characters with the sassiness and quasi-maturity that kids tend to have these crazy days. When I first started to read the book I thought that the characters and story iteslf were naive and childish. However, as I read on I realised that the narrator protagonist was maturing and the stakes in the story were increasing. The story starts out quite innocently but by the end of the book is a very different kettle of fish!

What impressed me about this novel was Almond's ability to weave in real issues affecting children in our era. These include ideas about why the country is at war. Almond's novel is didactic in the gentlest of ways - he manages to present opposing views of the issue but never becomes preachy. Other issues include the question of why asylum seekers need help from our country and what it means for our population to be multi-cultural. These aren't easy issues to approach and dissect but Almond manages to do it very well.

Throughout the novel there is a theme of good versus bad although this is not some kind of external magic force. The good and the bad are clearly shown to reside within us all. The protagonist of the story, Liam, is quite torn between choosing to do the right thing and choosing to do the wrong thing. His father, attempting to guide and inspire, tells him that 'whatever you can imagine you can do' but this statement is perverted by one of Laim's pals, Nattrass, whose imagination is haunted by gruesome acts of violence. Nattrass is a very disturbing character who is the antagonist of the story. Throughout the novel his obession with murder and death and pain makes for uncomfortable reading. Nattrass talks frequently about how the beheading of a kidnapped British man is available to view online and how millions of people have watched it. This is clearly reminiscent of actual real-life events and is rather disturbing to read as an adult, so some younger children (the book is aimed at 9-12 year olds) may find it quite upsetting.

There are some wonderful moments of storytelling and memorable characters throughout the story. Liam's journey takes place over one summer in which he digs up what he believes is treasure in his garden, then follows an apparantly magic jackdaw which leads him to an abandoned baby. After this child comes into Liam's life nothing is ever the same again. Almond captures what it feels like to be that reckless, carefree child and also the transition into a more thoughtful teenager. Basically, this is the summer of awakening for the boy, the summer he starts to become a man.

This is a brilliant book that I think is both entertaining to read and educational too. I'm very impressed by Almond's ability and will definately be reading more of his books!

Check out the author's website for information about him and his writing:

http://www.davidalmond.com/

Summary: A great book well worth discovering.