Genre:
Middle Grade
Description:
Felix
Quirke is a shy, undersized ten-year-old boy, who lives with his
Uncle Eddie in a small, dingy flat in an Irish seaside town. His
biggest concern is what to wear to the Fancy Dress party at school
before the Christmas holidays. However, Uncle Eddie has a bigger
concern and asks for Felix’s help, which could prove dangerous.
Quirky characters abound in this tale that takes a small boy out of
his comfort zone.
Author:
“Joan
Slowey, an Irish writer, has lived in Dublin for most of her life but
is from Co Down originally. She has been writing for many years and
has published short stories, poems, and novels for children.”
Check
out Ms. Slowey’s other books on her Amazon author page.
Appraisal:
Felix
Finds Out is a charming
but quirky story about a young, insecure boy who has to step out of
his comfort zone. Because of unfortunate family circumstances, Felix
Quirke is living with his uncle in a small village on the Irish
coast. Felix is a clever boy and learns quickly that he needs a few
friends to snoop around his school with him in order to help his
uncle nail a small-time thief to save his job.
Being
an introvert, Felix hasn’t sought to make friends at this new
school. However, his choices turnout to be good ones. That is until a
new girl arrives at the school who is self-confident, out-going,
bossy, and tends to walk on the wild side. With Samantha, Felix meets
his biggest personal challenge of all.
The
plot is character-driven, slow-paced, but suspenseful. The characters
are diverse, well-drawn, and believable. Since there is no real
mystery of who the thief is, the story lacks a certain degree of
oomph. However, Felix
Finds Out is an inventive
tale that explores many levels of friendship to help discern when and
where to take a stand. It’s an enjoyable story as Felix finds
confidence to feel more secure in himself.
FYI:
Ms.
Slowey is an Irish author and uses British/Irish spelling conventions
and slang, which may be challenging for younger readers.
Format/Typo
Issues:
No
significant proofing issues.
Rating:
**** Four Stars
Reviewed
by: ?wazithinkin
Approximate
word count: 45-50,000
words
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