Description
Frances is in a new house in a new neighbourhood and going to a new school, but no amount of new can make her forget the old, sad secret dragging at her heart. Not the pictures of bacteria that she draws with painstaking precision, not even Picasso, the puppy with the long soft ears and the cute black circle like a target on his bottom. Then Frances meets Kit, the tall, quiet boy with the two-coloured eyes. Kit is a real artist. His coloured pencils fill page after page of exercise books. He sees wonder in the rocks and ferns and sky. Though Kit has worries of his own.
But when secrets are spilled, Frances's life turns grey and drab. Not even Picasso's wet nose can brighten her up. Frances and Kit will need to face the truth of their pasts to find colour in their world again. After all, don't the most brilliant sunsets need a cloudy sky?
A beautiful novel about finding the remarkable in the ordinary and celebrating the wonder ofevery day, from the award-winning author of Borrowed Light.
Review
Frances is sad, and moving to a new house and a new school is not helping. She has a secret that she has been carrying for two years, and she can’t seem to find her smile ever since. Frances has become fixated on germs and making sure everyone is safe, and she draws bacteria with exact precision. Her beautiful new puppy Picasso (named after her favourite artist) loves her to bits and he is helping her.
Frances finds peace in drawing, and when she meets Kit at school she finds someone else who loves to draw. Kit finds beauty and colour in the most ordinary of things and teaches Frances tosee them too. Kit is quiet and it takes time for them to become friends, but Kit is also hiding his own secrets and they soon learn to respect each other’s boundaries. But nothing stays hidden forever, and when Kit and Frances finally face their respective pasts, they learn to find the fun in the world again and to help their families find peace as well.
This is a truly beautiful novel that will appeal to readers of all ages. Frances and Kit are wonderful characters that will stay with you long after you put this book down. Themes of friendship, grief, nature, art and family make this a novel that will touch your heart and have you hoping that Frances and Kit can smile again. Their decision to paint a mural in the school and how much time and effort they put in to make it special, despite a few problems along the way, is a delight.
This would be a great book for classroom discussion and is sure to become a favourite. I absolutely loved it, and it is suitable for all middle grade readers.
Reviewed by Michelle
