Entertainment
West Coast Reads
R e v ie w s The Review looks at recent releases by up and coming
50 | MAY 2018
eyes of 12-year-old Janet,
who – frustrated at being
left behind when the men
and boys go away to
cut thatch – fi nds herself
playing an unplanned, but
pivotal, role.
Barbara Henderson’s
story encapsulates the
outrageous injustice of
the period, and, though
written for children, it’s
an excellent introduction
to the Clearances for
anyone. Dark events are
sensitively presented, and
there is also hope, and insight
into the rich culture
of that time and place.
Henderson is also the
author of Punch, a story
about travelling entertainers,
set around Victorian
Inverness (the author’s
home town). She is starting
to rival Kathleen Fidler
in her skill at enchanting
young readers with an insight
into Scotland’s past.
Fir for Luck, by Barbara
Henderson, Cranachan
(age nine plus).
MINUS MAGIC
Ruby McCracken is a little
witch with a big problem
– she can’t do magic
any more.
Whisked from a world of
broomstick fl yways and
spider egg breakfasts
into the mundane setting
of Ordinary World Edinburgh,
she’s every bit as
underwhelmed as her
REVIEWS
WRITING THE WAVES
Poet and new mum Dora
is fi nding adapting to life
in modern-day Helensburgh
almost unbearable.
Her new home may
boast an ocean view,
but that can’t redress the
loneliness or the corrosive
presence of her neighbours.
The discovery that Larchfi
eld, a nearby school,
was the setting for the
early teaching career of
poet WH Auden, gives
Dora a thread of interest
to cling to amid her isolated
routine, and as she
learns about the Stop
All the Clocks writer’s life
in Scotland. Exploring
his 1930s world offers a
tempting alternative to
her frustratingly mundane
reality.
Polly Clark’s fi rst novel
vividly evokes the rollercoaster
emotions of
the new mother, whose
fragile mental health and
fi erce love for her daughter
must withstand the
judgement of strangers.
The fact that this contemporary
story fi ts alongside
an engaging account of
Auden’s time in Helensburgh
makes it all the
more impressive.
We may anticipate from
the start that Wystan
(Auden) and Dora’s stories
will intersect, but
when they do, it is in a
refreshing and unsettling
way.
Larchfi eld, by Polly
Clark (Quercus).
LUCKY FOR SOME
Fir for Luck is based on
the true story of the township
of Ceannabeinne
in Sutherland, whose
residents resisted eviction
during the Highland
Clearances – and paid a
price.
Events unfold through the
non-magical classmates
– until she realises that
there is more going on
than meets the eye.
Ruby is an endearing,
witty heroine whose frustrations
– particularly at
her parents (imagine your
mum wearing her paper
Burger Barn work hat all
the time) – will resonate
with young readers as
much as her language
does, and Ezra’s sense of
fun abounds in the witchy
details (like a dressing
made out of frogspawn
juice, curdled milk and
a hint of powdered bat
wing).
A great fi t for readers
looking to move on
from the Worst Witch or
Wrigglesbottom Primary,
to something slightly
spooky, but not too
scary.
Ruby McCracken:
Tragic without Magic,
Kelpies (age 7 plus).
Scottish authors