Susin Nielson’s latest offering is a heart-warming coming-of-age story. Lonely outcast Wilbur is settled in his routines: he works his part-time job at a sandwich shop, he goes to Aquacise at the weekends with his 85-year-old neighbour and he plays the triangle in the school band.
Homelessness is a topic on everybody’s lips these days. In this Amnesty International endorsed novel, our narrator, Felix Knutsson, finds himself ‘temporarily’ living in a van with his unemployed mother, the rebellious Astrid. Having an uncanny talent for memorising wide-ranging facts, Felix enters a competition to appear on a junior version of his favourite quiz show. He dreams of winning it and turning his and his mum’s fortunes around.
As Canada now seems to be the destination of choice for many Irish teenagers heading away for their first summer jobs, it’s great to see UK editions of YA books set in Canada and with a particularly Canadian sensibility.
