What would you do if you were left alone in the dark with no Light Jar?
The Light Jar – the blurb
Nate and his mother are running away, hiding out in a tumbledown cottage in the middle of a forest. When Mum heads off for provisions, and then doesn’t return, Nate is left alone and afraid, with the dark closing in all around him. But comfort can come from the most unexpected of places – a mysterious girl trying to solve the clues of a treasure hunt and the reappearance of an old friend from his past. Will Nate find the bravery needed to face the troubles of his present and ultimately illuminate the future?
Something’s not right
I loved this book. Needed to get that straight out there. I thought Thompson handled a very tricky subject really well and managed to make it appealing to adults as well as kids. I found the part about the lightbulbs heartbreaking, yet at the same time the addition of the Freaky Things book kept it light. There was suspense – where had Nate’s mom gone? Adventure – who doesn’t love a good treasure hunt? And humor as well as sadness, worry and bravery. The way Thompson used Sam and his friends to illustrate Nate’s issues was really used to good effect. It is a brilliant book for a book club having loads of tasks that can be done alongside reading it and should appeal to all genders. Overall 5 out of 5 fairy lights.
Book club questions
+++ These questions contain spoilers and should only be used if you have read the book already!+++
- The book is choc full of strange and wonderful facts (rainbow poo anyone?) What is your favorite weird fact? Do you know a chicken’s eyeball is bigger than its head?
- Nate and his mom kept a lot of secrets. Was it better or worse for them when they told the truth?
- What would you have done if you found yourself alone in William’s old cottage? What did you think had happened to Nate’s mum?
- Have a go at mouthing ‘colourful’ to someone. Did they think you were saying ‘I love you’?
- Have a go at making your own light jar. Grab a clean, empty jar and place a string of fairy lights inside – then wait till it gets dark and switch on.
- Can you be a mind reader like Nate’s magic ball? Ask a friend to think of something then ask them a load of questions that can only be answered yes or no until you can work out what it is they were thinking of. Were you right?
If you would like to join in with our Children’s Book of the Month keep your eyes peeled when we announce July’s book in a few days time. Our review with book club questions is usually posted on the last Monday of the month and you can check out previous Book of the Months such as Orion Lost by Alastair Chisholm by clicking on the Young Adult/Kids button at the top of our Home Page. In the meantime we would love to see what you have been reading.
