The Thirteenth Home of Noah Bradley

By Author / Illustrator

Amber Lee Dodd

Genre

Friends and family

Age range(s)

Publisher

Scholastic

ISBN

9781407189444

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

02-04-2020

Synopsis

"Amber Lee Dodd writes with tenderness and thunder, and her storytelling is a bolt of brilliance." Kiran Millwood Hargrave.

Moving house is no fun. And no one knows that better than Noah Bradley. A curse has forced his family to move thirteen times. Whether it's a typhoon, a flash floor or a flock of persistent birds, the curse always wins. Now, the Bradley family have just moved into their thirteenth home. Noah loves everything about it. He has his own room. He's made friends at school. He's happy. So when the curse returns, Noah decides that this time, there will be no more running away. The Bradleys are staying put... no matter what it takes.

A powerful story of hope, family and what home really means.

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Reviews

This book drew me in from the very beginning. The story starts with Noah and his family arriving at their new home at midnight, not the usual time of day for a house move. As it turns out, they spend their lives moving to flee a curse. This means that Noah is used to arriving at school, putting on a persona, getting his head down and fitting in. This time though, it's different. Noah likes it here. He doesn't want to be chased away by the black birds of the North and have to start all over again.

Because he and his family like it so much, they try to ignore the signs of curse catching up with them. They leave it too late; the weather and the birds of the North catch up with them, and Noah, his younger brother Billy and their new friend Neena have to set out on a journey to try and stop the curse forever.

The Thirteenth Home of Noah Bradley is a really interesting story. I loved how the ancient curse is brought right up to a modern setting. (It made me feel a bit nervous as the rooks, which nest in the big trees at the end of my garden, came into roost while I was reading it!) It is pacey and exciting. I was really rooting for the characters. I liked how they acknowledged their flaws and problems and even turned them to their advantage.

It's a story about finding out who your true friends are, and discovering what is really important in life. It's also about finding a sense of belonging. But more than that, it's a cracking good story that kept me guessing until the end, with a really satisfying ending.

320 pages / Reviewed by Abbi McInnes, school librarian