BooksforTopics Reading for Pleasure Recommendations
We are so pleased to be taking part in the blog tour for Amber Lee Dodd’s latest book Lightning Chase Me Home. Read on for a review of the book and a giveaway to win one of two copies.
Book Title: Lightning Chase Me Home (available here)
Author: Amber Lee Dodd
Publisher: Scholastic
Publication Date: January 2019
Most Suitable For: Years 5/6
Review
Amelia is a young girl who lives on a remote and stormy Scottish island called Dark Muir. The island seems to be permanently on the brink of a storm and is steeped in a history of magical legends. Amelia lives in a creaky old house, along with her father, grandfather and family dog, Pipi.
Despite being enclosed on an island, Amelia seems to have a spirit of adventure in her blood and fondly remembers the stories of brave female explorers that her mum used to tell her about and even named her after. Most days, however, Amelia feels far from courageous like her heroines. Mum has left home, Da is unhappy, Grandpa is becoming increasingly forgetful and Amelia’s dyslexia makes learning seem really tough.
When Amelia reaches her eleventh birthday, she has the opportunity to take part in the island tradition of visiting the mysterious Serpent’s Tooth Rock, which, according to legend, will grant her a wish. Wondering if she is too old for these kind of stories, Amelia takes part any way and make a wish to be reunited with her mum.
As soon as Amelia has made her wish, she has a sense that a powerful magic has been stirred. As she navigates the start of a new school (where she is immediately placed in the ‘STAR’ group for pupils who need extra support) where she has to overcome the challenges of dyslexia and encounters a group of bullies, the island’s magic becomes more powerful and strange things begin to happen to her. Can Amelia and her new friend Tom get a handle on what is happening to Amelia and learn to control the magic before it puts the whole island in danger?
This is an absorbing and deeply atmospheric novel that combines magical legend with some gritty, real life issues. As the story unfolds, Amelia undergoes a moving journey of self-discovery and comes to understand that she does not have to be an intrepid explorer of far-off places to show bravery, but that learning to be bold enough to believe in who she is and do the right thing in difficult circumstances takes just as much courage.
Book Giveaway
Thanks to the publishers at Scholastic, we have two copies of Lightning Chase Me Home to give away to our followers!
To enter, simply follow @booksfortopics on Twitter and retweet the giveaway tweet by 11.59pm Sunday 20th January 2019 (T&Cs here).
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You can order Lightning Chase Me Home online or from your local bookshop or library.
Many thanks to the publisher for sending us a review copy of this book, for providing the giveaway prizes and inviting us to be involved in the blog tour. Remember to check out the other stops on the blog tour!
