The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest by Aubrey Hartman illustrated by Marcin Minor

When winds blow

Through Deadwood east

The undead monster waits to feast

On little bones

And braids

And toes

But don't you scream

Or its hunger grows!

While I did read this book fairly quickly over a couple of days it took me a little while to get used to the use of a girls name Clare for a male character - the undead fox.

What does undead mean? Well, when a creature dies it usually just heads off to the afterlife but there are some creatures that need help to find the right door or realm. This guiding or, as it is called here, the Ushering, is the job of the undead - in this case Clare the fox but there have been many others before him - Brickbane a fox; Eddifoot a racoon; Po an elk and Felix a moth. There are four destinations:

"Travel north from here and you'll find the realm of Peace ... for those who found joy in rest. Head east and you encounter the realm of Pleasure ... best suited to those who sought fun about all else. Directly west is Progress ... for those who loved work, service and effort. And finally travel south ... and one enters the realm of Pain."

Clare has been sending the souls who arrive at his cottage in Deadwood Forest to the 'right' door for over four years. He enjoys his work and loves tending to his extensive mushroom garden but deep in his heart he is lonely and also frightened because Brickbane told him on the night of his death that he was destined for Pain. And not only that a prophecy song is circulating:

"On All Hallows Eve, Deadwood will bring mayhem to Fernlight. And before the moon sets, one in Deadwood will vanish forever."

Then there is new arrival. It is a badger named Gingersnipes. Astute readers will realise something is wrong. Gingersnipes does not arrive in the usual way by knocking on Clare's door. When Clare sends Gingersnipes away to his assigned realm "he did not wait for the crackling sound of her departure".  This is a big mistake.

Hopefully now you have lots of unanswered questions. How did Clare die? Why did Gingersnipes arrive at this time? What does do the songs of All Hallows Eve mean? Who is the little girl with the red shoes? Can the message and advice from Hesterfowl be trusted? And most important of all what on earth is a braid?  (Of course, dear reader you know the answer to this final question but it is a mystery to Clare).

There is one very violent scene near the end of this book so I am going to say this is a book for mature readers aged 10+. 

All of this plot sounds every 'heavy' but there are some sweet touches of humour in this story and you are sure to enjoy meeting the rats at the dump named Nine and Two. The names of the mushrooms that Clare collects from the forest are also delightful. And I loved the way Clare always said 'travel true' as he sent lost souls off to their assigned realm. 

Here is a description of Clare's cottage:

"Clare, for example, had strung the ceiling with rows and rows of twine. The walls were lined with shelves crammed with jars of all shapes and colours, gathered from Deadwood Dump and filled with dried fungi. In the firelight the vessels glinted and glowed, splashing the hollow in jewelled hues."

Here is a line that made me smile - it is Gingersnipes speaking:

"I have a moose-sized bone to pick with you. Four times you sent me into that forest. And four times the coloured lights led me back here. Is this some sort of game? A test? Because I'm tired of it, fox!"

And later Gingersnipes says: "You're a tough nut to crack, Clare, and frankly I am not a squirrel!"

There is an interesting theme in this book about thirst - this is something I need to think a little more about. Being undead Clare does not need food or drink, but he makes special tea for all his visitors and so it seems important and very strange that once Gingersnipes arrives, and Clare's world shifts, he seems to be desperately thirsty all the time. 

Here is a description of Hesterfowl the grouse - "She wore a cloak of moss. A collar of bones encircled her short neck, some poor dead animal's rib cage fanning up and around her head. The feathers surrounding her eyes were smeared with berry pulp and groomed into sharp points." (I need to make special mention of the amazing illustrations in this book AND question why his name is not on the cover or title page. You can see his art here on Instagram). Marcin Minor lives in Poland.

Image source Instagram

I think it was the cover that first caught my attention. Checking some details I see the hardcover of this book arrived here in Australia in late February 2025 then, as I already mentioned I was given a generous book voucher for one of book chain stores here in Sydney - so when I saw they had the paperback which was released in April this book was an obvious first purchase.

SPOILER ALERT - Bookseller blurb: Clare is the undead fox of Deadwood Forest. Here, leaves grow in a perpetual state of fall: not quite dead, but not quite alive...just like Clare. Long ago, he was struck by a car, and, hovering between life and death, he was given the choice to either cross into the Afterlife or become an Usher of wandering souls. Clare chose the latter: stepping into a solitary life of helping souls meet their destiny. Clare's quiet and predictable days are met with upheaval when a badger soul named Gingersnipes (arrives). Despite Clare's efforts to usher her into the Afterlife, the badger is unable to find her way out of Deadwood. This is unprecedented. Baffling. A disturbing mystery which threatens the delicate balance of the living and the dead. Clare seeks the help of Hesterfowl--the visionary grouse who recently foretold of turmoil in Deadwood. But Hesterfowl divulges a shocking revelation about the badger that leaves Clare devastated, outraged, and determined to do anything to change their fate.

Read some young reader reviews - very insightful.

Heartbreaking, marvelously funny, and generously redemptive. Kirkus Star review

"I really love Gingersnaps" "A timeless book". Colby Sharp Newbery prediction.

US author Aubrey Hartman has written two books. Check out her webpage.  

Companion books:

Good Dog

Loteria

The Life and Time of Lonny Quicke

Magrit

When you Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller

I used to be able to talk to her. I used to tell her everything. If this had happened a few years ago, 

I would have said, I JUST SAW A TIGER IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. 

I would’ve shouted it right into her ear because I couldn’t hold it in.

Mum and her two daughters - Lilly and Sam - are moving back to live with their grandmother or halmoni (grandmother in Korean). Very gradually we are given some brief details that dad has died in a car accident. This move will be a new start for the family but more importantly it is clear Halmoni is unwell. 

Halmoni buys rice and pine nuts and herbs to cast magic, she feeds spirits, she believes in all the things you cannot see. She lives in a house at the top of a hill, a house covered in vines, with windows that watch like unblinking eyes. She is a witch, looming over the town, like something out of a fairy tale. She’s not normal. I’m not normal.

On their journey Lilly sees some thing very frightening. She knows her grandmother has told the girls stories about tigers. And now she has seen one.

I gaze out the windshield. The landscape that slips by is peaceful. Gray stone houses, green grass, gray restaurants, green forest. The colors of Sunbeam blur together: gray, green, gray, green—and then orange, black. I sit up, trying to make sense of the new colors. There’s a creature lying on the road ahead. It’s a giant cat, with its head resting on its paws. No. Not just a giant cat. A tiger.

When they arrive at the house Lilly encounters the tiger again. She makes a bargain with Lilly. If Lilly returns the stars that were trapped in jars by Halmoni then the tiger will restore Halmoni to good health. Halmoni has told Lilly the story of the Tiger and the stars. 

“I am the littlest girl in the littlest village, and I am sneaky. I hide outside the caves and wait until the tigers fall asleep, until their snores echo through the land. And then I get to work, grabbing the stars—the bad stories—in my fists, stuffing them into jars.”

“I seal jars up. Then I tiptoe away from cave, so soft, hush-hush. Before I leave, I think, I be extra safe. I make sure they don’t follow. So I take rocks from the forest, one by one, and stack them at the mouth of the cave, until they make a wall. Big, heavy wall. Until the tigers trapped inside.”

“Nothing last forever, Lily. Tigers break free. The tigers very angry. Now they coming for me. ... “They hunting me now. They don’t stop hunting.”

Lilly finds the important jars but then she has to work out how to trap the tiger in the basement. The family now live across the road from the library, so Lilly decides to go there to find out how to trap a tiger. In the library she meets a boy named Ricky. He will prove to be a new friend and a boy who can help Lilly navigate this complex time, but will she be able to trap the tiger in time? There are three jars and three stories the Tiger could tell Lilly. Sam calls her sister a QAG - quiet Asian girl - but Lilly has to find a way to break away from this label or stereotype because she is sure she is the only one who will be about to save her halmoni. And of course time is running out.

Blurb from the author page: Would you make a deal with a tiger? When Lily and her family move in with her sick grandmother, a magical tiger straight out of her halmoni’s Korean folktales arrives, prompting Lily to unravel a secret family history.   Long, long ago, Halmoni stole something from the tigers. Now, the tigers want it back. And when one of those tigers approaches Lily with a deal—return what Halmoni stole in exchange for Halmoni's health—Lily is tempted to accept. But deals with tigers are never what they seem! With the help of her sister and her new friend Ricky, Lily must find her voice… and the courage to face a tiger.

Opening sentences:

I can turn invisible. It’s a superpower, or at least a secret power. But it’s not like in the movies, and I’m not a superhero, so don’t start thinking that. Heroes are the stars who save the day. I just—disappear. See, I didn’t know, at first, that I had this magic. I just knew that teachers forgot my name, and kids didn’t ask me to play, and one time, at the end of fourth grade, a boy in my class frowned at me and said, Where did you come from? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before. I used to hate being invisible. But now I understand: it’s because I’m magic.

Keller infuses this tale, which explores both the end of life and coming-of-age, with a sensitive examination of immigration issues and the complexity of home. It is at one and the same time completely American and thoroughly informed by Korean culture. Longing—for connection, for family, for a voice—roars to life with just a touch of magic. Kirkus Star review

There is one sentence that made me gasp in this story. Over five days eleven years ago this week I sat with my mother as she was dying. Someone told me the last sense to go is hearing and so I said the same words that Lilly said to her halmoni reassuring my little mum that I too would be okay:

“It’s okay,” I whisper, leaning so close to Halmoni that my lips brush her ear. I close my eyes and breathe. Sometimes, the bravest thing is to stop running. “It’s okay if you go. We will be all right.”

I gave When you trap a Tiger four stars - I think this is because I just read a similar book or at least one with a similar plot involving a young child and their grandmother - Children of the Quicksands by Efua Traore. This meant I wasn't quite in the mood for another book of magical realism and cultural folktales even though When you Trap a Tiger is Korean and Children of the Quicksands is set in Nigeria. I did enjoy, in this latest book, the way Lilly grew in strength and also her determination in the face of terrible fear that she could and must help her grandmother. The final scene I described above also deeply moved me. I think this book is for readers aged 10+ with good reading stamina and for readers who have experienced books like this one previously. Ricky is also an interesting character. At first I thought he might have ADHD or be on the autism spectrum but then later in the story we discover he has lots of friends at school. I did find the early scene in the supermarket where his father berates him unresolved and therefore a little confusing. This may be because I read those parts a little too quickly.

When you trap a tiger won the Newbery Medal. You can see other books by Tae Keller here. If you enjoy books with folk tales woven into the narrative you might also look for these:

Where the mountain meets the moon

Zadie Ma and the Dog who Chased the Moon

A Glasshouse of Stars

The Deadly Diamond by Mark Greenwood

"To this day the deadly diamond retains a spooky reputation as a stone with an ominous sparkle and the power to bring tragedy to anyone who touches it. But does its ownership bring death, dishonour, disgrace or financial ruin? Can the curse of the most famous jewel in the world be reconciled with reality when many of its owners have lived long and generally prosperous lives?"

Our story of this famous diamond - variously named the Blue Diamond, the French Blue, and the Hope Diamond - begins in India at a diamond mine in 1642. We are not told in detail, but it is very clear that conditions at this mine must have been utterly terrible. Mark Greenwood does mention snakes and overseers and the use of children in the mine. No one is exactly sure, but this diamond was part of a temple idol before it was stolen and then passed through the hands of thieves, con men, nobility, an extremely rich socialite, a famous jeweler and finally presented to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History which is where you can see it today and from that link you can see many of the aspects and short videos of this story that are mentioned by The Deadly Diamond including the regular postal envelope that was used to send it to the museum - an amazing story. Take a look at these images. 

This is a slim book but such a page turner and readers are also supplied with a timeline, glossary and extra reading list so curious minds can explore this topic further. If I was sharing this book with a group of students (Grade 5 or 6) I think I would begin by showing the tiny diamond in a ring I wear every day using this as a way to talk about diamonds and their value and origins. You could share this ABC television series "Stuff the British stole" with a High school group. There is an episode about a diamond from South Africa and also one about the Koh I Noor diamond. Both are rated PG. I highly recommend The Deadly Diamond as a perfect addition to your school library or pop this title on your Christmas present list - it would be an especially great gift for a boy aged 10+. This book has big print and white pages and a few actual photographs/portraits of the famous people who were involved or who owned this diamond. 

Further reading:

• Diamond facts for kids
• Science Kids
• Science for kids club
• Only Natural Diamonds

Many of my reviewing colleagues receive advance copies of new Australian titles but up until this week I only received books from one Australian publisher. Now I can add two more to that list including the publisher of this book - Fremantle Press. I recently talked about their new verse novel Trapped by Julia Lawrinson.

Mark Greenwood has done an enormous amount of research for this book The Deadly Diamond. I simply gobbled up the whole book in one sitting - readers aged 10+ are going to love this book and I am sure the rest of the series are fabulous too. I have another one - The Wooden Horse - ready to read next. Here is the full series called History Hunter:

On the publisher page you can read an extract from The Deadly Diamond and find very detailed and useful teachers notes. There is one word missing from the glossary which your students may need to check - loupe.

I was so interested to read all the ways this stone was cut and changed and reduced in size. I also had no idea about the colours of diamonds - white, yellow, red, dark grey, orange, red, apple green, pink and most desirable of all, the blue.

"The diamonds that came from the fabled mines of Golconda were highly valued. Local rulers jealously guarded the source and kept the largest diamonds for themselves. The radiance of these diamonds was legendary. Many believed they contained a supernatural force. Prized for colour, clarity, size and beauty some were as pure as a drop of dew."

Try to find these two books as companion reads:

The Blood Stone

The Mona Lisa Vanishes

This is not about diamonds, but it has the same narrative nonfiction style 

and the same assortment of 'shady' characters.  Highly recommended. 

This form of narrative non fiction is not new but I have not seen any other books in this form for many years. In my previous school library I had other books like this on a range of topics but they are all now long out of print. One series were called True stories published by Allen and Unwin: Stoked! Real Life, Real Surf; Bog Bodies: Mummies and Curious Corpses; Wrecked: Mysteries and Disasters at Sea; Kimberley Warrior: The Story Of Jandamarra; and Soccer: Great Moments, Great Players in World Football. And we also had the It's True series.

Your students who enjoy books that use this form of narrative to tell a true story might find the "I Survived" series in a school or local library. I also had a series called Mega Bites published by Dorling Kindersley in my previous school. 

Our Sister, again by Sophie Cameron

"Welcome to Project Homecoming and exclusive trial by Second Chances Ltd.

You are part of one of the most ambitious and pioneering projects ever carried out in the field of Artificial Intelligence. 

One that, if successful will change how we think about 

and experience life and death forever."

Life is a mystery and so is death but we do know that when someone dies we cannot see them again. In books there is an unwritten rule that death is never reversed or so it seems to me. In this book a young girl is 'brought' back and this has huge implications. This book will most certainly make readers think deeply about grief, death, what it means to be human and also the implications of technology in our lives.

Isla's sister has died. Mum is wrapped up in grief and so when she reads about a way to bring Flora back to 'life' she readily agrees. What does this mean? What are the implications for the family of agreeing to the Second Chances Homecoming Project. What are the implications for the community who have all signed confidentially agreements? And what about the other teenagers who were friends with Flora? They have grieved and attended her funeral and now she is back. But they are older because three years have passed. If this version of Flora is frozen in time and only has the memories. possibly unreliable memories, collected by Second Chances, is she a real person? Mum does not want to see the truth and dad is sure this is totally wrong, so he has left the family and moved away from their island home. Now that Flora is back should she go back to school? Is there any point in sitting exams? And of course, the kids in her class from before have left the school and are at college.

Is Flora person or a robot? "As Flora turns towards the harbour steps her hair falls to the side and shows the back of her pale neck. ... Carved into her skin, only just visible above her jacket, is a small square."

Is this Flora, really Flora? "The returnee has been created using vast amounts of data, in addition to photos, videos and extensive interviews with your loved one's friends and family."

"Our returnees look entirely human ... We are confident that this new arrival will be an extremely close match to the person you remember. However, please be aware that there are some differences. Returnees do not need to sleep, they cannot be fully submerged in water, (they do not need to eat), and they don't fall sick with human illnesses."

The food part about the returnee made my stomach squirm. In the first few days Flora does eat with the family but the food goes into a food compartment in her body and she has to regularly empty it. Eventually she just gives up this charade of eating. 

"Losing Flora so young made me realise that growing old is a gift not everyone gets."

Dad "doesn't think she's human ... He says you can't rebuild a soul and you can't be a human without a soul."

Exploring a number of ethical questions, Our Sister, Again is simultaneously an intriguing mystery and a moving story of grief, family bonds, and what it means to be human.  Book Trust

It's an emotional story, and heartwarming too. The Book Bag (read this full review - it is very thoughtful)

This is an incredibly powerful, compelling and absorbing read that raises issues around personhood, ethics and social media.  ... And, that ending – it brought tears and smiles – and was exquisite! Book Craic

Sonya's Chickens by Phoebe Wall

Sonya loves her chickens. She has three and she has raised them from tiny chicks. She makes sure they have enough water, fresh straw, and lots of delicious corn. It is not a surprise that one day Sonya finds the perfect gift - a smooth, warm, brown egg. But ...

"One chilly night, Sonya woke to a ruckus of squawking and shuffle-y bump noises from outside. ... The floor of the coop was frosted with feathers, and Sonya cried out as she counted not three, but two frightened chickens cowering in the rafters above. The third was nowhere to be seen."

Sonya is desperately upset but her father offers some beautiful wisdom. Yes this does seem very unfair but now let's think about the fox. That fox also works hard to feed his babies. 

"He didn't care that it was our chicken he took. He just saw it as a chance to feed his family. I know you feel sad, but you wouldn't want those baby foxes to go hungry, would you?"

Sonya's Chickens was published in 2015 and it won an Ezra Jack Keats award for a new illustrator. I was very surprised to discover it is not out of print. Here are some details of the paperback edition. 

Here is my Pinterest collection of picture books about chickens. You can see more books illustrated by Phoebe Wahl here. Here is a video of Sonya's Chickens. I would share Sonya's chickens with slightly older children aged 7+ and you should make sure you leave time for discussion and questions. 

Bookseller blurb: When Sonya discovers the answers, she learns some important truths about the interconnectedness of nature and the true joys and sorrows of caring for another creature.

A reassuring story about death in the natural world, thoughtfully designed and illustrated. Kirkus Star review

Companion book:

Fox: A Circle of life story

Puppet by David Almond illustrated by Lizzy Stewart

"At the beginning, just bits of wood. Something to hold them together. Some string perhaps. Just a few bits and pieces and odds and ends. And that's about all. Apart from an imagination, and a belief that you can really do it."

"You're a mystery, aren't you, Puppet? But isn't everything a mystery? 

Not just you, but every single thing that exists."

Silvester is a master puppet maker but now it seems his life's work has come to an end. The museum curators have collected his puppets, posters and props so they can prepare a display of his work. Not so long ago, Silvester's beautiful wife Belinda has died, and as all the puppets are taken away, Silvester is left feeling so alone. 

Late that evening he climbs the stairs in his home to his puppet workshop. At first it seems there are only discards of wood and other materials, but Silvester gently picks up one piece and then another and before long he has created a new puppet.

"He used thin wire and tweezers to put together a leg and then another leg. One was longer than the other, one had a very wobbly knee joint. One was dark wood; one was light. He added feet; one with a black boot, one with a brown. He found a pair of arms, one of them with powerful-looking muscles. One had had the full four fingers, the other only three. He found a skinny torso and wired the arms and legs to it. He took one of the dangling heads from its string. It was pine wood, yellowy brown. He attached it to the body."

All of this is happening under moonlight and in the company of the small creatures who live in this attic space - a mouse, some spiders, and woodlice. Silvester makes his puppet with love and skill and somehow this makes magic, because Puppet speaks.

And so the story begins. Silvester names his new companion Puppet but out in the world, when he is mistaken as his grandson, he tells local people the boy is named Kenneth. Naturally Puppet knows nothing of the world and so Silvester takes great delight in teaching him to walk and then introducing Puppet to the simple wonders of his local neighborhood - the park, the shops, and the playground swings. In the park Silvester and Kenneth meet a young girl named Fleur and her mum Antonia. They have recently moved to this community following the death of Fleur's father. There is a very special moment in this story when mum and Silvester make a connection.

A small paper puppet slips out from one of Silvester's old scrap books. 

"Silvester picked it up. There was a label tied to it. Thank you for the show. His name is Claude. With love from Antonia."

"Then he took Claude from his pocket and held him high towards the birds and moved him through the air as if he were flying too. And Antonia caught her breath. ... and held her hands out and Puppet put the paper puppet into them, and she whispered 'Claude!'"

After young Antonia and her parents, saw Silvester's puppet show of Hansel and Gretel she explains "at home we made puppets from paper and sticks and card. We made a puppet theatre from a cardboard box and acted out Hansel and Gretel for ourselves. And I made a little puppet named Claude, parcelled him up and took him to the post office and I sent him to you."

David Almond writes with such gentle insights as we watch Silvester caring for Puppet. He also gives readers fragments of text that anticipate how this story will end.

"This would be Silvester's final puppet; he knew that. Puppet was brand new, but he was made from bits of ancient puppets, scraps and fragments, stuff that seemed nearly useless. He was, as Fleur had said, both young and old. He had bits of Silvester in him, bits of Belinda, bits of memories, bits of dreams. He had grown from all the puppets that had gone before, and he would lead to all the puppets that were still to come."

Here are a few text quotes to give you a flavour of the exquisite way David Almond writes:

"This is called music. It pours from the air into your mind and moves your bones."

"Puppet flapped his arms as if they were wings. He stood high and stretched upward, as if about to fly."

"All through the rest of the night, beneath the lamp and the moon, Silvester worked to make Puppet the best puppet it was possible for him to be. He tightened Puppet's joints. He reshaped Puppet's face. He smoothed and waxed his skin. He thickened Puppet's hair. He brightened his green eyes."

"No he would never be perfect but he was beautiful. He was beautiful and imperfect, as all the most beautiful things are."

"What is time? How does it pass? Sometimes - maybe when we're bored or when we're waiting for something we really want to do - an hour can seem like a week. Sometimes an hour can seem like a few fleeting moments. And there are times when you forget everything and time doesn't seem to pass at all ... like when you're reading a good book."

I recommend this book for readers who are deeper thinkers aged 10+. 

There are some themes in Puppet by David Almond which made me remember other books that I have read. To my eye many of his books have religious/Christian themes. After reading Puppet and Skellig you might look for Jackdaw Summer, Clay, Heaven eyes, and Bone Music.

• Falling Boy touches on issues of bullies and community action. Dawn from this story is also grieving the loss of her brother. 
• The tale of Angelino Brown is very similar to Puppet. A lonely couple are 'rescued' by a tiny 'angel' boy.
• Skellig - if you have read this classic award-winning story you will remember the way Skellig resembles an angel and the significance of his wings. 

In her review for our Magpies Magazine Dr Robin Morrow said: "Lizzy Stewarts black-and-white illustrations ... are an integral component of this book, making it a kind of graphic novel. They appear at unpredictable intervals ... The final seven pages have no verbal text, simply the illustrator's eloquent depiction of Puppet releasing his makeshift wings and flying into the distance." "There is an elegiac mood to this small masterpiece."

Read some other reviews:

• Kirkus Star review
• Kids' Book Review
• Books for Keeps

I recently talked about Pinocchio. Perhaps adults will make this connection, but I actually enjoyed Puppet as a character and his friends Silvester and Fleur more than that mischievous Pinocchio who, as an adult reader, frustrated me with his selfish and headstrong attitude and slightly tedious misadventures.

The Windeby Puzzle by Lois Lowry

This book is very difficult to categorize. On the one hand it is an engrossing story of life during the Iron Age from the first century AD. On the other hand, it this is such a sad and, in some ways, an awful and violent story. There is the mystery and devastating outcome. It focuses on two characters living during the Iron Age - Estrild and Varick. You are certain to care deeply about these two young friends until the shocking scenes where both adolescents die. But of course, one of them does have to die because this book has begun in modern times when the well-preserved body of a child was found in a peat bog.

So, there is the side of this story that is based on fact. In 1952, a small, remarkably well-preserved body is unearthed from a bog in northern Germany. This story fascinated Lois Lowry (you know her from books like The Giver). Of course, the actual story of the life of the child found in the bog can never be known. As a creative writer Lois Lowry weaves two possible stories - one about Estrild a young girl who wants to break away from the expected role of girls and women raising and caring for children and working hard to provide food and shelter for their family. Estrild wants to be a warrior. She plots and plans a way for her dream to come true. Alas, this cannot happen and her bold declaration at the village ceremony leads to her condemnation and ultimately her death by the mystical rulers - the Druids. Then later the story of Varick, a young boy born with a deformed spine who is shunned by the village but who is such an intelligent boy with a deep fascination for the natural world. What could have led to his untimely death?

After reading about Estrild this book takes a strange turn. Lois Lowry steps into the narrative with her author voice.

"I confess. It was excruciating for me to write the final paragraphs of Estrild's story. Yet it had been clear from the beginning, from the body found in the bog, how her story would end for her."

But then things change again in this story because early in the twenty-first century a different set of eyes studied the Windeby Girl and declared this bog body was not a girl aged about thirteen but rather a young, undernourished boy aged about sixteen. Read more here. And so, we move to the second possible story and read how Varick could be the body in the bog and discover Lois Lowry's 'invented' and thoroughly engrossing story of how he came to be there. 

Knowing Lowry’s versatility, I shouldn’t have been surprised that in her latest book she succeeds in doing three things at once. “The Windeby Puzzle” is structurally strange and beautifully crafted, zigzagging, as its subtitle announces, between history and story. New York Times

While both stories feature vintage Lowry strengths—strong worldbuilding, compassionate characters—it’s the sections explaining her authorial decisions that stand out and will encourage readers to reflect upon how history is told and about whom. This book, her answer to probing questions, beautifully illustrates the interaction between idea and execution, illuminating the architecture of storytelling. ... Valuable metafiction for young readers. Kirkus

This suspenseful exploration of lives that might have been by a gifted, intellectually curious author is utterly one of a kind. Includes several arresting photos of archeological finds, including of the Windeby child. Harper Collins

You can read the first chapter of The Windeby Puzzle on the publisher web page. Also take a look at Ms Yingling's thoughts.

Year ago, I had this book in my school library. It was one from a series and I remember while I some children did borrow this series from our Non-Fiction shelves, I think I was the person who was most fascinated by these true stories of bodies found almost intact hundreds of years after they had died. 

The Windeby Girl (or now we think this is a boy) can be found in the museum in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.

Companion book:

The Raven's Song

I am now keen to find this picture book. This is not the same child from The Windeby Puzzle but it certainly sounds like an interested companion read:

Safiyyah's War by Hiba Noor Khan

Take a look at the labels I have assigned to this post - curiosity, friendship and fear.

Safiyyah lives in the mosque in Paris. The German army have marched into the city. Luckily, they are not persecuting the Muslim residents of Paris and people are still able to attend the mosque. Safiyyah's father works at the mosque and her family live in one of the apartments. Everyone is living in fear. Safiyyah has two dreadful encounters with soldiers on her way to school and on her way to deliver medicine to an elderly Jewish man. 

Safiyyah's parents, especially her father, are smuggling Jewish people out of the city. Safiyyah becomes a messenger, so she has even more reason to be dreadfully afraid. Luckily, she is an intelligent girl and also luckily, she is incredibly curious. This means she finds out many more details about the rescue of Jewish people who are using the mosque so they can then escape to safety. She knows many more details than her father would have ever planned to tell her. Near the end of the book this information becomes vital as the men including her father are detained in the main prayer room and it is now up to Safiyyah to help over fifty people urgently escape. The tension in this book is so real and certainly keeps you turning the pages.

As with all the best books for Middle Grade and Upper Primary readers about the events of World War II, this book is told as a first-hand account from the point of view of a young child. I have added a few others at the bottom of this post including some special picture books that I used to share with my Grade Six students.

'Safiyyah's War has the soul of a classic & the urgency of a story for our times. A tale of tolerance, unthinkable bravery, and heart-in-mouth true events. I loved this book' - Kiran Millwood Hargrave

'All at once, Safiyyah's War broke my heart and filled me with immense hope. With its unforgettable characters and exquisite storytelling, this really is an extraordinary book' - A F Steadman

'Safiyyah is a protagonist I was rooting for all throughout; a lovely, kind-hearted girl whose story filled me in turns with despair and joy. This book shines through with kindness and empathy at its very heart' - Nizrana Farook

This is a high-octane venture suffused with sheer terror that Safiyyah’s family’s activities will be discovered by the wrong people. There are two important relationships which stand out, particularly the evolution of Safiyyah’s interactions with her father and of her growing respect for him and his work. The other one is with her beloved grandmother, Setti, who exerts a calming and wise presence and has some of the most profound ideas of the novel. Historical Novel Society

This is both a gripping and moving novel. Hiba Noor Khan brings her detailed research to life and introduces us to many less familiar aspects of occupied Paris. The plot is full of suspense and builds to a thrilling climax. Safiyyah is a courageous and compassionate heroine who reminds us that anybody can make a difference. Just Imagine (read this review for more plot details)

Listen to an audio sample from chapter one page 3.

Companion book:

Beyond Belief

You could type any of these titles into my search bar - all of these would be fabulous to share with a reader aged 10+ who has read Safiyyah's War or who has an interest in the events of  World War II.

Circles in the sky by Karl James Mountford

"And there in the clearing it was, something small, something still ... perhaps forgotten?"

It is a small, black bird. Fox moves in close. The bird does not move. He makes a loud noise. The bird does not move. He takes a worm over for the bird to eat. The bird does not move.

"Nothing seemed to be working. Nothing seemed to be helping. Fox couldn't understand why. What could be do for the broken bird."

A moth has been watching the old Fox. She tries to gently explain what has happened using an analogy of the sun and the moon but all this does is annoy and frustrate Fox. He is so confused. Where is bird? Moth now has to explain: Bird is dead.

"It's okay to be sad ... The two creatures sat down in grief for some time."

The cover of this book is truly special. It is tactile, geometric and has a bright shine. 

The story beautifully honours the cycle of life, as a lone moth helps a lone fox understand the death of a bird. Mountford has shown that great children’s books always write up to their readers and never down. ... Rather than shying away from or obliquely addressing them, The Circles in the Sky embraces these themes with a visually stunning book that offers a touching and truthful exploration of life and death in the natural world. It opens the door for readers of all ages to ask similarly profound questions. Books for Keeps

Speaking to heart and eye in equal measures, a beautiful treatise on remembering life and helping those left behind. Kirkus Star review

Death and grief are hard things to understand for people of all ages, and Mountford’s exploration of the subject is spot on. Mountford’s lyrical text is thoughtful and inquisitive. Children will immediately relate to Fox’s concern and frustration. And while he can’t quite put a name on it, Moth gently guides him through to understanding. Mountford’s accompanying illustrations are, quite frankly, exquisite. His multilayered artwork is stylized and elegant. It truly brings his story to life. The Circles in the Sky is a book everyone should own. It’s one of my favorite books of 2022. Cracking the Cover

Circles in the Sky would be a very worthwhile addition to your school library. The request for books explaining death or comforting a child, after the death of a family member, often arise on social media such as on the Facebook group Your Kids Next Read. BUT it is far better to read books on this topic - books that deal with this sensitive issue in a gentle way - LONG before any real experience of loss. All of these companion books are brilliant too:

The Last Goodbye

Fox: A Circle of Life story

The Bear and the Wildcat

Waiting for Wolf

The Rabbit's Magician

Circle in the sky is the first book written and illustrated by Karl James Mountford. Here are other books he has illustrated:

The Probability of Everything by Sarah Everett

Dear Reader,
If you are reading this, then chances are that 

our world has ended.

"My name is Kemi Carter, and I'm a scientist .... My favorite type of science is the science of probability. Probability is pretty great because it tells you how likely something is to happen or not happen. It is a way of predicting the world."

BREAKING NEWS: MASSIC ASTERIOD ALTERS PATH, NOW ON COURSE TO MEET EARTH! NASA RELEASES STATMENT: DO NOT PANIC! PRESS CONFERENCE TO BE HELD IN THIRTY MINUTES!

"How long did we have until the end of the world?"

Kemi knows the world is about to end. This is huge and impossible to process so she decides to collect a box of treasures so that the people who come next have some idea about her life and the lives of various members of her family. 

Begin here with this video by Colby Sharp - "this book is blowing everyone's mind" ... "this is the best book to read when you know nothing about it!" ...  "You are in for the ride of your life."

Colby also says do not read the back cover (blurb) - luckily I was not able to do this because I read the ebook of The Probability of Everything.

Now listen (just play it without the image) to this video where the reviewer explains it is best to come to this book knowing nothing about the plot. This review is 9 minutes and at the end the librarian says she would like one million dollars so she could buy this book for everyone - surely that makes you curious about this story.

This book will shock and shake you - it is utterly fabulous but any more plot points will spoil it. I will however list a few text quotes:

"A sudden chill entered the room. It was Narnia cold, the kind of cold that makes your bones ache, and I shivered. The front door creaked like it had been left open, and I wondered if that was the reason for the cold."

"Amplus ... has a 84.7 percent chance of hitting us."

"When Mrs Wallace had taught us about asteroids, I hadn't really considered the possibility of one colliding with us. It was kind of the way I hadn't paid too much attention to our lesson on Tasmanian devils because I knew they were only in Australia."

"Would Baby Z be born before the asteroid hit? Mom was only five months pregnant, which meant the world would have to last another four months at least, if we were ever going to meet the baby. We didn't even know if we had four hours."

"... the end of the world might sound like a whoosh, like a thunderclap, or like a peaceful silence."

"Four days meant less than a full week of school. It meant we would never meet Baby Z, that I would never have two sisters instead of one. It meant the world would end on a Thursday."

"There has to be a way to make sure they don't forget all about us."

"I'm make a time capsule ... If I save all the most important stuff, the things we love the most, then nobody has to feel so sad about the end of the world. ... If I saved one thing that was precious to each member of my family, then something that was part of them - something that they loved - would always be here. It wouldn't be destroyed by the asteroid, and the next earthlings could find it and know about us."

What are some things to put in a time capsule:

• Photographs
• Newspaper clippings
• Favourite books (Kemi likes The One and Only Ivan; Charlotte's web and Where the wild things are).
• List of movies or tv shows you love
• A mobile phone
• Food (that won't spoil) 
• Clothes
• A map of your town showing all your favorite places
• Letters between you and your loved ones

ONLY after you have read this book (yes you do need to read it) you might look at a few reviews such as this one from Kirkus (star review). 

Awards:

• NPR Books We Love 2023 
• Publishers Weekly Best of 2023 
• Winner of the Governor General's Literary Awards for Young People's Literature

This review by Betsy (my blogging/reviewing hero) contains spoilers - WAIT - read the book first please!

And while I’m generally a pretty slow reader, I devoured this baby immediately. How could I not? Sarah Everett wrestles with an outsized and ambitious bit of plotting, all the while keeping her cards close to her chest. Here’s some advice: Hand this to kids that like their books with a bit of a twist. And do NOT skip to the ending and read that first. You will live to regret it if you do. Betsy Bird

Companion book:

Wishtree