Book Review: Norah's Ark by Victoria Wiliamson

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?

Offering powerful lessons in empathy, Norah's Ark is a hopeful and uplifting middle-grade tale for our times about friendship and finding a sense of home in the face of adversity.

GENRE: Contemporary Middle Grade

PURCHASE LINKS: Amazon | Neem Tree Press

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Victoria Williamson is an award-winning author who grew up in Scotland surrounded by hills, books, and an historical farm estate which inspired many of her early adventure stories and spooky tales. After studying Physics at the University of Glasgow, she set out on her own real-life adventures, which included teaching maths and science in Cameroon, training teachers in Malawi, teaching English in China and working with children with additional support needs in the UK. Victoria currently works part time writing KS2 books for the education company Twinkl and spends the rest of her time writing novels, and visiting schools, libraries and literary festivals to give author talks and run creative writing workshops.

Victoria’s previous novels include The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle, The Boy with the Butterfly Mind, Hag Storm, and War of the Wind. She has won the Bolton Children’s Fiction Award 2020/2021, The YA-aldi Glasgow Secondary School Libraries Book Award 2023, and has been shortlisted for the Week Junior Book Awards 2023, The Leeds Book Awards 2023, the Red Book Award 2023, the James Reckitt Hull Book Awards 2021, The Trinity School Book Awards 2021, and longlisted for the ABA South Coast Book Awards 2023, the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2020, and the Branford Boase Award 2019.

Her latest novel, The Pawnshop of Stolen Dreams, is a middle grade fantasy inspired by classic folklore. Twenty percent of the author royalties for this book are donated to CharChar Literacy, an organisation working to improve children’s literacy levels in Malawi.

You can find out more about Victoria’s books, school visits and free resources for schools on her website: www.strangelymagical.com

Review

It's the middle grade books, I've found, that pack quite a punch, and that's why I still read them to this day even if I'm already in my 30s. Norah's Ark is a book I wish I'd read as a kid, and I wish my parents read when I was a kid. Communication was not my strong suit, and while my childhood wasn't anywhere as difficult as Norah's or Adam's, I could've benefited from the lessons this book imparts.

Norah's Ark is an easy read, and therein lies the beauty of it. It's engaging, even tear-jerking at certain parts. It's easy to understand. It shows us the point of view of young people without making them come off as childish and annoying. It tackles difficult topics without being preachy. It dishes out the hard truths but leaves so much room for hope. It's heartwarming and poignant, a story that stays with you well past the end.

I enjoyed Victoria's The Pawnshop of Stolen Dreams but it's Norah's Ark that's put her in my auto-buy authors list. Highly recommended!

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️️⭐️️