The Thirteenth Home of Noah Bradley by Amber Lee Dodd

 

Many many years ago the Bradley family have been cursed. The curse involves four magical objects - 

• A fire poker that could conjure a fire that would never go out
• A lantern that once lit could control the tides
• A weather-vane that could channel the wind and lightning
• A door knocker that could summon animals as a protection against wolves

Troubles have befallen the Bradley family because their ancestors were greedy and misused these gifts. The troubles are in the form of a curse from the hill people:

"The cursed the family to be rootless as they once were, chased by the birds of the north, who could bring misfortune to any place they came to call home for so long as they held on to magic."

Now we jump in time to Noah Bradley and his family. Once again they have been forced to move, chased out by disaster and flocks of dangerous birds. Noah is tired of moving. The new house is perfect. His new school is perfect. His mother has a good job. Why can't they stay? Noah's dad heads away to Singapore telling Noah to look after his younger brother Billy, and his mum, and to keep a look out for the signs of bad luck that always precede the arrival of the birds. 

Noah sees a black cat then that evening the birds attack. Noah tries to tell his mum but things become quite tangled. Later that day everything in Noah's life is destroyed. Now is the time to act. There must be a way to end this curse. Noah, Billy and their new friend Neena discover his mother has one of the objects - she has been hiding the door knocker but where are the other objects?

I visit the Westmead Children's Hospital Book Bunker each fortnight and last month I spied this new book. I picked it out because I liked the cover, the blurb sounded interesting, and I was curious. One of the volunteers had classified this book as a YA title and so I wanted to check if this was correct.

Blurb extract: "A curse has forced his family to move more than thirteen times. Whether it's a typhoon, a flash flood or a flock of persistent birds, the curse always wins. ... A powerful story of hope, family - and what home really means."

The thirteenth Home of Noah Bradley is a perfect story for a reader aged 10+. It is not a YA title at all! Read about Amber Lee Dodd and her personal battle with dyslexia here. Here is a podcast where Amber talks about her book with Nikki Gamble at Just Imagine.

Its highly original plot intrigues from the first chapter, effectively straddling reality and fantasy, the ordinary and extraordinary. It then sweeps the reader along with its high-action drama and great cast of characters, amongst whom is Noah’s younger brother (who is partially deaf,although this is incidental to the story). And like any great adventure, it keeps you on the edge of your seat to the very last.  Powerful, absorbing, atmospheric adventure,incorporating themes of family, fitting in, friendship and finding oneself. BookTrust

I would follow this book with Savvy by Ingrid Law, Nightbird by Alice Hoffman and Echo Mountain by Lauren Wolk.