The Boy Who Climbed Into The Moon - David Almond

The boy who climbed into the moon is called Paul, he lives in the basement of a very very tall tower block and his head is full of strange and fanciful ideas, including the one that says that the moon is in fact a big hole in the sky. Luckily, he fits right in because his block of flats is full of enchantingly eccentric characters, who all club together to help him find out if his strange idea is true and climb up to - and into - the moon.

The Walker Books website suggests that the book is suited to readers aged 7 and upwards, but it appealed to both Sophie, aged 8 (oops, sorry, she's just informed me she's closer to 9 than 8 now !!) and 5-year-old Juliette. It's quite long for a kids' book - over 120 pages - but the vocabulary is simple to read and understand, which is a real confidence boost for learner readers, and the gorgeous, brightly coloured and fascinatingly detailed illustrations split up the story into easily digestable sections.

We took it in turns, with both me and Sophie reading pages, and she also loved it when I read the narration and she read the different characters' speech parts. The characters are all weird and wonderful but believably human and Paul is just an ordinary little boy, with a highly-active imagination and a pair of worried parents, that all little readers can identify with.

If you, as a parent, want to take some of the issues further, you could use this book to explain the notions of community spirit, keeping people alive by remembering them, tolerating other people who are different, believing in yourself and your ideas, working towards your dreams, even the concept of war ! But taking it at face value, it is a beautifully-presented, endearing modern fairy-tale that you can read together as a family for at least a couple of weeks' worth of quality time at bedtime.

The author, David Almond, and the illustrator, Polly Dunbar, already worked together for the highly acclaimed My Dad’s a Birdman, which I am definitely going to look out for now.

star rating : 5/5

RRP : £9.99

Format: Hardback
ISBN: 9781406314571
Published: 05 Apr 2010
Size: 229 x 152 mm
Pages: 128