Furthermoor

By Author / Illustrator

Darren Simpson

Genre

Bereavement

Age range(s)

Publisher

Usborne Publishing Ltd

ISBN

9781474976701

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

03-03-2022

Synopsis

The real world is a hostile place for 12-year-old Bren, his schooldays stalked by vicious bully, Shaun, and his family life fractured at home. Ever since his sister Evie died in an accident, Bren's only safe space is Furthermoor, an imagined world of mechanised trees and clockwork animals, where Evie is still alive. In Furthermoor, no one can hurt Bren...until the mysterious Featherly arrives. Now Bren is forced to confront his deepest fears and decide if his place in the real world is worth fighting for. Enter a world as vast and dark as your imagination, in this unforgettable coming-of-age story about courage, friendship and finding your voice.

Download Extract

Reviews

Furthermoor is a wonderful blend of real life and an imaginary world. 12-year-old Bren has been escaping to Furthermoor, his imaginary safe space with mechanised trees and clockwork animals, ever since his sister died in an accident. In real life he holds on to her watch and is transported into an imaginary world where his sister, Evie, still exists.

In Furthermoor, Bren is in control and everything is magical which is in stark contrast to his real life. In the real world Bren is having a really difficult time. He is grieving for his sister and his mum and dad are also struggling to cope with their loss. His mum has thrown herself into her work, so is rarely home, and his dad isn't leaving the house and isn't paying much attention to Bren. On top of this, Bren's friends have found it difficult to know what to say to him and have slowly drifted away. Now a little bit of a loner, Bren has become an easy target for the school bully, Shaun.

I loved the way in which this book explored the issues of grief and bullying. The new boy Carey's attempts to help Bren deal with the bully Shaun don't exactly go to plan but Bren does initially find the courage to stand up to Shaun when it benefits other people. There is a strong message here about speaking up for others when you notice something wrong i.e. not turning a blind eye to bullying. The author also explored the reasons why a bully might behave in the way that they do.

As the weight of the issues that Bren is dealing with pile up, he retreats more and more into his fantasy world. His school work is affected and as real life becomes more unbearable, his imaginary world also begins to change. Furthermoor has a villain, Featherly, that Bren hasn't created and Featherly is intent on destroying the only safe place that Bren has. Will Bren find the courage to leave his imaginary world behind to focus on his real life?

Furthermoor is a powerful story which I found to be very heartfelt in places. It was an interesting blend of fantasy and real life. There are reading group questions in the back of the book so this would be perfect to read with a book club. There are also details of organisations that can provide help or information to support children affected by bullying or bereavement.

320 pages / Reviewed by Clair Bossons, school librarian