Paper Boat, Paper Bird
Author: David Almond
Illustrator: Kirsti Beautyman
Published by: Hodder Children’s Books
Published on: 4th August 2022
Price: £7.99
ISBN: 978 1 444 96328 1
First line: Kyoto.
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Age: 9+
What’s it all about?
I was very excited about reading this book, as I love Skellig by the same author. The story follows two children who have experienced change in their lives with the loss of a parent. Some magic brings them together.
A girl called Mina lives in the exotic world of Kyoto, Japan. It starts with the girl being presented with a paper bird and a paper boat by a lady on the bus that they are travelling on. Later on, she leaves the paper boat and bird with a message in the lake, like a message in a bottle. It is found the next day, by a boy called Miyako who carries it with him on his journey. Up in an open roof cafe, Miyako writes his name in the boat and bird and releases the paper and it falls towards…guess who, Mina!
Why should I read it? I found it hard to get into the story, with its short, stangley unfinished sentences and lots of nuance and hidden meaning. David Almond’s explanation about why the story was written was more engaging for me.
There are beautiful illustrations throughout the book by Kirsti Beautyman.
Thanks to Toppsta for the review copy.
Kinkajousreadtoo 
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