Almost Nothing Happened

By Author / Illustrator

Meg Rosoff

Genre

Adventure

Age range(s)

14+

Publisher

Bloomsbury YA

ISBN

9781526646187

Format

Hardback

Published

15-08-2024

Synopsis

Paris. August. One long summer of nothing. 48 hours of everything. From the inimitable Meg Rosoff comes a chaotic and irresistible new YA novel.

17-year-old Callum is facing an unfortunate truth: his summer exchange in rural France was a failure. No epic adventure, no summer fling, and his French is still rubbish. Just as he should be boarding the Eurostar home, without even a hint of a plan, Callum impulsively decides to stay (and doesn't bother telling his parents). He only knows one person in Paris: his long-lost cousin, Harrison, an oboist.

As night falls on the hottest weekend of the year, an adventure begins - involving a motorbike, a curfew, a stolen oboe, a priceless Matisse painting, at least one police chase, a climate protest and the enigmatic, alluring, irresistible Lilou...

A completely delicious, funny, fast-paced summer read from the multi-award-winning author of How I Live Now, The Great Godden and Friends Like These.

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Reviews

Clare

A teenager who should be on the Eurostar home to London after a lacklustre French exchange is instead riding pillion on a motorbike through the backstreets of Paris, in search of an oboe. In no particular order there is also a Matisse, a formidable French girl, an errant step-brother and a series of slightly dubious nightspots. Suffice to say, Callum's French exchange has taken an unlikely turn and, whilst braced for the inevitable avalanche of trouble when he finally returns home, his nocturnal adventure makes him see Paris and its inhabitants in a whole new light.

The third of Meg Rosoff's summer books, Almost Nothing Happened is another brilliant evocation of teenage life. Bucking the trend for overlong YA books, Rosoff succinctly plots a breathtaking adventure with a hugely likeable lead in Callum. The book is slightly lighter in tone than the previous two and it feels accessible whilst still retaining the author's trademark quality and assured writing.

Funny, heart-warming and with a dizzying array of wonderful characters (who are no less meaningful for the brevity of their appearance), this is perfect summer reading. Only a year to wait until the next one…I hope!

256 pages / Reviewed by Clare Wilkins, school librarian