Ten-year-old Nora lives with her mum who is suffering from PTSD. They are close but bad days outnumber the good.

Nora is sure the ghost animals she keeps seeing have answers to the challenges her family faces. The first one to appear is the ghost fox followed by a hare, raven and otter. They each have a rainbow type shine that Nora always tries to follow. Kwame, a new human friend, is there to help.

What Nora is looking for is the strength to be honest about her home life. To help both herself and mum. It’s a sad journey ending with a surprising boat trip to an island. It’s there that Nora finds someone who might help.

Nora is not the most likable character at first but her friendship with Kwame and the constant first person dialog in her head bring about sympathy and more endearing qualities. Her character arc bends and sways but ends in a perfect place.

There is an awful bully named Joel (which always seems to be a definite inclusion in middle grade books), but even he finds a way to be a better person after his true story is revealed thanks to Nora and Kwame. The scenes with those two friends are the strong point of the story, helping the plot move forward with each interaction.

THE NIGHT ANIMALS leaves you with a feeling that it is always okay to ask for help. Hope and healing is something attainable. A creative and memorable story.

PAGE COUNT: 270. U.S. BOOK BIRTHDAY: December 1, 2024

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sarah Ann Juckes is the author of five books for young people. THE NIGHT ANIMALS (Jan 2023) was awarded Waterstones Book of the Month and The Times Children’s Book of the Week. Her other books for this age group are, THE HUNT FOR THE NIGHTINGALE, and STORM SEAL. Her YA novels include OUTSIDE (nominated for the Carnegie Medal Awards 2020) and THE WORLD BETWEEN US.

Sarah is a writing tutor and also works for Oxford University. She lives opposite a graveyard on the edge of the Cotswolds with her partner and cat. (Author Website)

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NOTE: I’ll be back on Monday with a review of THE HUNT FOR THE NIGHTINGALE by Sarah Ann Juckes, but there will be no MMGM. I am supervising a field trip for high school juniors and won’t be able to break away to create the post.

Be assured that MMGM will return on December 2nd and the rest of that month including Christmas and New Year’s week. Happy Holidays!