Glowrushes by Roberto Piumini translated by Leah Janeczko

An entire generation of Italians was raised with his stories and has grown up to read them to their own children. But if you’re from an English-speaking country, chances are you’ve never heard of this award-winning author. World Kid Lit

Madurer is the son of a great lord, with untold wealth, but he is also the victim of a mysterious disease that means he cannot be exposed to sunlight or fresh air. He is confined to three windowless rooms inside a palace, but his doting father summons a famous artist to cover the walls of the rooms with paintings showing the world his son cannot experience for real. As the painter works on his murals, his relationship with the boy begins to deepen until they forge a firm friendship. How can he show this child the beauty of the world with only his paintbrush to work with? Glowrushes is a heartbreakingly beautiful classic of Italian children’s literature, published here in English for the first time. Pushkin Press

This is a big call but this might be my book of the year and by coincidence it is the last day of the year! Philip Pullman has a quote on the wrapper on my book which is perfect:

"I don't think I have read anything like this before - a tale of life, death, love and beauty that by the storyteller's art makes those things true, fresh, real and important. I hope this unforgettable story finds all the readers it deserves."

Thanks to Pushkin Press this book will find lots of readers because they have taken this famous Italian book from 1987 and given us an English translation in 2022. I don't speak Italian but this book does feel very authentic.

“Stralisco” is a strange word, which is not found in the dictionary: it is part of a game between Madurer – a child – and Sakumat – a painter. Madurer is ill and must always be locked up in the dark. Sakumat has the task of showing him the world through his paintings. Their relationship turns into a story of total friendship that unites a child, a man and – in the background – a father, in a very intense adventure. “Lo Stralisco” is a fable about the possible happiness of those who fully accept to look at the world through the eyes of poetry and signs of art. A tale for kids that even the adult public has been able to appreciate. UTE Korner

It is interesting that it has taken so long to produce a version of this story in English because it has already been translated into other languages:

• Netherlands- dutch language (Querido, Amsterdam 1993)
• France- french language (Hachette, Parigi 1992)
• Spain- castillan and catalan language (Edebé, Barcellona 1991)
• Germany- german language (Hanser, Monaco-Vienna)
• Japan- japanese language (Komine Shoren, Tokio)

This is a mature, deeply poignant and beautifully drawn book of love, wonder and life. We recommend this title as a thoughtful gift, and then, a wonderful story to read and know together. Book Wagon

I highly recommend this wonderful book to share with a reader aged 10+. It would be better to share this book rather than just hand it to a reader because it it so very different and there are sure to be so many important issues to talk about as you read. 

Opening sentences: "In the Turkish city of Malatya lived a painter named Sakumat, who was neither young nor even old. He was the age at which wise men know how to be their own friend without risking their friendship with others."

About the boy Madurer: "He suffers from a strange illness: every trace of sunshine and dust is harmful to him: his eyes swell, he grows short of breath, a rash and even sores form on his skin. He cannot go outdoors, and run and play in the palace gardens as my servant's children do. Furthermore, he cannot live in a room like this, with a window that lets the mountain air and sunlight enter freely and abundantly. All the doctors in Turkey who boast science and knowledge have visited this palace ... They all strongly recommend Madurer live in the most sheltered, innermost area of the palace. He can only breathe air filtered through layers of damp gauze ... and so it has been for over five years."

The task: "I would like my son's rooms to be decorated with pictures and colours."

What happens: Sakumat and Madurer work together and create an enormous mural of mountains, fields, the ocean and memorable characters and "soon there is a fabulous world on the walls, a colourful, shifting landscape people by shepherds and lover, criss-crossed by armies and pirate ships. ... Can he show this child the richness and beauty of the world and of life itself with nothing but paints and brushes?" (jacket blurb)

The title: Glowrushes come from the artist's imagination with additional idea from Madurer himself. "This is a plant I have never heard of ... it's a sort of firefly plant ... on clear nights it lights up ... the boy sat up in bed. All around him, in the darkness, hundreds of slender wisps glowed with a golden light. Bending this way and that, they shone throughout the dark meadow and seemed to sway in the wind."

Here are three Italian covers for this book with the title Lo Stralisco:

Roberto Pumini was nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen Award (IBBY) in 2020. Here are some of his books:

The Hans Christian Andersen dossier talks about Glowrushes (the Italian edition) "Sakumat is a painter, and he’s called to do a delicate job: a very rich man’ son has a serious illness that forced him to live inside a room, without ever seeing the light of the sun. The painter will have to paint him some landscapes to make him know the world and distract him. And then, maybe, won’t a contact so unbridled and continuous with creativity and imagination save him from death? The novel doesn’t answer these questions in a negative way, it demolishes them."

The Deadly Daylight by Ash Harrier

Alice England lives in a house that is part of a funeral home. Her dad Thaddeus is the owner of Tranquillity Funerals. Alice is twelve years old but she is able to work as his assistant.  Alice was born a twin but her sister had already died before their birth. Alice, herself, has weak leg because the umbilical cord cut off the circulation in the womb and her leg was not able to develop properly. Alice is often in pain and this reminded me of another book I read recently - The Great Fox Illusion by Justyn Edwards. Alice has one special gift. when she holds objects owned by dead people in the funeral home she can sometimes feel  or "see" parts of their previous life - the objects are resonant. 

This is why Alice is desperate to find out the truth about George Devenish. He has died just after sunrise down near the docks where he works as a night watchman. George always works through the night but on the day of his death his skin has been exposed to light. George is the uncle of Violet and Violet now sits with Alice at lunch time. Violet, her brother, father and uncle suffer from Solar Urticaria - an allergy to sunlight. You are probably thinking that this allergy has just been invented by Ash Harrier but it has not. In fact the daughter of a teacher at my former school has this terrible affliction. 

Solar Urticaria: Sufferers develop hives, which are very itchy circular bumps, within 5 to 10 min of exposure to light. Hives usually develop on areas that are directly exposed to the sun, such as the face and hands. Solar urticaria happens because the immune system overreacts to light, treating it as an invader In very rare cases it can cause anaphylaxis and even death.

Outside of her own home Violet has to wear long sleeves, long pants, gloves and a hat with a shade-cloth veil which covers her face. Inside her own home all the windows are covered and the light is artificial not UVB. UVB is the light that comes from the sun. Candlelight is safe and so is firelight. 

Reading this book is such a rich experience as Ash Harrier weaves in so many details especially about the lives of Alice and her new friend Violet. The story contains a tiny touch of magical realism and this adds a delicious layer to the mystery. 

Ash Harrier also fills her book with utterly delicious words which are mostly uttered by Alice who has a delightful adult-like mode of speech no doubt acquired from listening to her dad at the funeral home. Here are some of the rich words you will find in this book - shenanigans; tact; underhanded; lax; obnoxious; collate; unbeknownst; pensively; ludicrous; bemusement; soiree; infiltrating; fraternise; intrude; umbrage; endearment; and discombobulate.

I have been grabbing minutes over the last few days so I could keep reading this terrific book. It took great restraint on my part not to jump to the end to discover the truth about the death of George Devenish. I did eventually guess aspects of the ending but not until chapter 24 (out of 27 chapters in total) and then I could see how skilfully Ash Harrier had laid down all the clues but as with the way of all good mysteries/crime thrillers - every person we meet seems to be a plausible suspect until the final scene when all is revealed. 

This book is a terrific detective mystery that will be enjoyed by readers aged 10+. It is a new Australian children's book published by Pantera Press and will be available in August, 2022. Thanks to Beachside Bookshop for my advance copy. I am a CBCA Book of the Year judge but not for the Younger Readers category so I am going to say I do hope the publisher enters this book for the 2023 awards because I am going to predict it will most certainly be a 2023 Notable title and perhaps even reach the shortlist of six. The Deadly Daylight seems to the first in a planned series called The Alice England Mysteries.

Publisher blurb:  Twelve-year-old Alice England is curious, truthful and smart, but when you work in your father’s funeral home and you get messages from the dead, it can be difficult to make friends. When she comes across the peculiar case of George Devenish, who was allergic to sunlight, Alice is convinced there’s more to his death than meets the eye. With the help of George’s niece, ‘Violet the Vampire’, who shares her uncle’s allergy, and a boy named Cal, who has secrets of his own, Alice begins to investigate. Who were the teenagers under the dock when George died? How is the sinister Doctor Grampian involved? And what about George’s wife, Helen, whose baking is delicious but possibly poisonous? It seems the truth of George’s death may never see the light of day – unless Alice and her companions can put the clues together and solve a mystery much bigger than anybody expected.

One slightly quirky aspect of this story that I really enjoyed was when Alice imaged perfect coffins for other people. If the idea of a child making coffins is of interest I also recommend this very different but also very moving Canadian book - here are two different covers:

The Heaven Shop

Post update - I have just read The Ice Garden by Guy Jones published by Chicken House. This is another book where the main character is allergic to sunlight.

I also thought of several books which feature a character named Violet who is involved in solving a crime:

A Case of Grave Danger

Violet and the Pearl of the Orient

Finally the special relationship (adult and child) between Alice and her father Thaddeus reminded me of the wonderful book Because of Winn Dixie. Kate DiCamillo also includes a funeral home in her book Louisiana's Way Home.

Because of Winn Dixie

A Field Guide to Getting Lost by Joy McCullough

Sutton is worried. Her dad has a new 'girl friend'. Does this mean he plans to marry Elizabeth? Does this mean two people will move into their small apartment? Or will Sutton and her dad have to move to the suburbs of Seattle? Elizabeth has a son called Luis. Luis is so very different from Sutton. How can they ever be friends? And then there is the issue of Sutton's mother who is working in Antarctica. Sutton is sad that her parents are divorced but at least mum does live in the same building except these days she is never home because she is studying emperor penguins and with climate change her study time is unpredictable. Mum's return will be delayed and she won't arrive home in time for Sutton's tenth birthday.  Life seems way too hard for Sutton right now and her bot programming is not working out either.

Sutton loves science. She is working on a program for her bot (small robot). Dad is keen for Sutton to like Elizabeth and to make friends with Luis but the outings he organises seem doomed to fail. They go to the Museum of Popular Culture. Luis loves Star Wars and Harry Potter but these references are a mystery to Sutton. In a way these two kids are polar opposites - science brain versus imagination. The next outing is a hike at Discovery Park which has 12 miles of trails. The biggest complication here is Luis and his allergies. He is allergic to bees, peanuts and dairy. His mum is naturally very protective but on the hike Sutton and Luis are separated from the adults and things do go terribly wrong. These kids, though, are resilient and together they can survive.

A field guide to getting lost is an easy novel to read, I did care about the characters, and I enjoy books with alternating voices. The sense of community in the final scene made me smile. It reminded me of the final scene in The View from the 32nd Floor and the community of Hazel Green (Odo Hirsch). There are a lot of "issues" in this middle grade story but they are handled with a light touch. If you know a middle grade reader who has allergies to various foods and bees this book could be somewhat reassuring showing there are ways to cope when things get tough especially when you have the support of a good friend (and a mum who truly cares about you).

With chapters switching narrative focus between the two protagonists, their inner turmoil is handled with sensitivity, creating a character-driven tale that doesn’t skimp on plot. Kirkus

You can read the first chapter on the Simon and Schuster web pages. Here is an interview with Joy McCullough. Thanks to Beachside Bookshop for my advance reader copy of A field guide to getting lost which was published in April.

I would follow A field guide to getting lost with:

To Night Owl from Dogfish