Jackdaw Summer

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jackdaw Summer
First edition
AuthorDavid Almond
CountryEngland
LanguageEnglish
GenreChildren's fiction
Published2008 (Hodder Children's Books)
Media typePrint (hardback)
Pages219
ISBN9780340881989
OCLC782010168

Jackdaw Summer (US. title Raven Summer) is a 2008 book by David Almond. It is about two boys, Liam and Max, who, on following a jackdaw, find an abandoned baby.

Reception[edit]

A BookTrust review wrote "Friendship, loyalty and truth are explored through a cast of complex characters in this compelling story. While often tense, it ends on a note of hope."[1] and The Guardian wrote "This is a thoughtful and claustrophobic snapshot of people's lives, showing how they have come to be who they are that one summer. This may not be Almond's best book to date, but he has only himself to blame for having set the bar so high; Jackdaw Summer is a wonderful piece of writing for children - unsettling yet poetic."[2]

Publishers Weekly in a starred review, wrote "In a thought-provoking coming-of-age story, British writer Almond (Skellig ; Clay ) delves into the darkest realm of the human psyche as he expresses the conflicting urges of an adolescent." "Almond tackles complex questions about humanity from multiple points of view; flashes of wisdom—sometimes painful, sometimes uplifting—arrive at unexpected moments."[3] and Common Sense Media called it "a unique find."[4] A Kirkus Reviews starred review wrote "With a storyteller’s flair and a poet’s precision, Almond reveals the fierce intensity of childhood, and this rare acknowledgment permeates his latest novel set in England’s Northumberland in the time of Bush and Blair." and called it a "hypnotic, sensuous foray into the nature of war, truth, art and the savagery of humanity."[5]

Jackdaw Summer has also been reviewed by Viewpoint: on books for young adults,[6] Booklist,[7] BookPage,[7] Library Media Connection magazine,[7] The Horn Book Magazine,[7] The School Library Journal,[7] VOYA,[7] The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books,[8] Reading Time,[9] and School Librarian.[10]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Jackdaw Summer". booktrust.org.uk. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
  2. ^ Ardagh, Philip (1 November 2008). "Jackdaw Summer by David Almond". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
  3. ^ "Raven Summer". Publishers Weekly. PWxyz LLC. 9 November 2009. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
  4. ^ "Raven Summer". www.commonsensemedia.org. Common Sense Media Inc. 21 April 2010. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
  5. ^ "Raven Summer". Kirkus Reviews. Kirkus Media LLC. 15 October 2009. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
  6. ^ "Review : Jackdaw Summer by David Almond". Viewpoint: On Books for Young Adults. 17 (2). University of Melbourne: 31. 2009. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
  7. ^ a b c d e f "Raven Summer". catalog.wccls.org. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
  8. ^ Deborah Stevenson (February 2010). "New Books For Children And Young People". The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. 63 (6). Johns Hopkins University Press: 232, 233. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
  9. ^ "Jackdaw Summer". Reading Time. 53 (2). Children's Book Council of Australia: 29. May 2009. Retrieved 17 December 2016.[dead link]
  10. ^ Laura Ciftci (March 2009). "Jackdaw Summer". School Librarian. 57 (1). School Library Association: 48. Retrieved 17 December 2016.[dead link]