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Book Reviewed by:Magic hovers just beneath the surface in this unusual and moving story about the bond between a boy and his grandfather.
An unusual and moving story about the magical bond between a boy and his grandfather.
Does it just happen that Gavin and Grandad see the seal while they are fishing in the harbor? Just happen that Grandad talks about the selkies, the seal people who can leave the water and take human form? Just happen that Grandad is finishing the beautiful miniature boat he's making for Gavin's tenth birthday, and Gavin decides to call her Selkie? And at that moment, Grandad has his stroke. Could the selkies have something to do with all this
Day after day at the hospital, Gavin tries to get through to helpless and speechless Grandad, trying to reach him, explain what's happened to him. Everyone else has given up. But Gavin will try anything. Even asking the selkies to help. To do that, he must give them something to show them how much it matters. What is the dearest thing he owns?
A lovely book that is well worth reading, and one that would be particularly apt for children coping with the serious illness of a family member, elderly or otherwise...continued
Full Review
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(Reviewed by BookBrowse Review Team).
Peter Dickinson, born in
1927, has written more than fifty novels for
adults and young readers; and has won both
the Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread
Children's Award twice.
He is a tall, elderly, bony, beaky, wrinkled
sort of fellow, with a lot of untidy gray
hair and a weird hooting voice – in fact he
looks and sounds a bit like Gandalf’s crazy
twin, but he's only rather absent-minded,
probably because he’s thinking about
something else. Day-dreaming, mostly.
...
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Idealism increases in direct proportion to one's distance from the problem.
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