I received a review copy from the publisher as part of the blog tour in exchange for an honest review. It has not affected my opinions.
Genre: Contemporary Age Range: MG Star Rating: 4 stars Series: standalone
Blurb:
Two very different lives. One shared hope for a brighter future. No time to waste. The flood is coming…
Eleven-year-old 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, a pet mouse, a pet spider, and a whole zoo of rescued local wildlife to care for.
Eleven-year-old Adam Sinclair lives with his parents in a nice house with a big garden, a private tutor, and everything he could ever want. But his life isn’t perfect – far from it. He’s recovering from leukaemia and is questioning his dream of becoming a champion swimmer.
When a nest of baby birds brings them together, Norah and Adam discover they’re not so different after all. Can Norah help Adam find his confidence again? Can Adam help Norah solve the mystery of her missing mother? And can their teamwork save their zoo of rescued animals from the rising flood?
Blurb taken from Goodreads. Add to your shelves here.
Review:
NORAH’S ARK is a beautiful contemporary tale of friendship, family, lies, and desperation.
This is a tale of what happens when jobs are lost and safety nets break or weren’t there to begin with. It’s a tale of how our badly broken, underfunded system can fail people, punishing them for things out of their control when their own crime is being poor and needing state assistance.
It’s also a story of the aftermath of sickness and trying to adjust back when being smothered by over protectiveness. It addresses the struggle between trying to please parents but also wanting things for yourself, and how those dual pressures can be crushing.
Despite tackling some heavy, difficult where than can be little but despair, there is so much hope in this book as a friendship sparked from a shared interest overcomes seemingly massive differences. It is ultimately a tale about the power of friendship and kindness to change lives and make tough, scary things feel easier to face.
I loved how sympathetically the book handled the themes – also including things like bullying and climate change. There’s so many things packed in, each topic big enough for several books to tackle, but it’s all skilfully balanced to build empathy and understanding in the reader.
The book alternates between Norah and Adam’s perspectives (which I suspect are deliberate biblical references to fit the title!) While the title focuses on Norah, it is a book where they are both as important as the other, with their own difficulties they need each other to face.
Read my reviews of other books by Victoria Williamson:
Middle Grade:
Standalones:
Young Adult:
Feast of Ashes:
- FEAST OF ASHES (#1)
Sifa Elizabeth Reads 
Such a great review. I also thought the way the children’s struggled with their own wishes and making their parent’s happy was excellently done.
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It’s a very skilfully done portrayal
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