Norah’s Ark by Victoria Wiliamson
Ultimate Tour
Book Info
Genre: MIddle Grade, friendship
Length: 304 Pages
Published: 29th August 2023
Blurb
Two very different lives. One shared hope for a brighter future. No time to waste. The flood is coming...
Eleven-year-old Norah Day lives in temporary accommodation, relies on foodbanks for dinner, and doesn't have a mum. But she's happy enough, as she has a dad, a pet mouse, a pet spider, and a whole zoo of rescued local wildlife to care for. Eleven-year-old Adam Sinclair lives with his parents in a nice house with a big garden, a private tutor, and everything he could ever want. But his life isn't perfect - far from it. He's recovering from leukaemia and is questioning his dream of becoming a champion swimmer. When a nest of baby birds brings them together, Norah and Adam discover they're not so different after all. Can Norah help Adam find his confidence again? Can Adam help Norah solve the mystery of her missing mother? And can their teamwork save their zoo of rescued animals from the rising flood? Offering powerful lessons in empathy, Norah's Ark is a hopeful and uplifting middle-grade tale for our times about friendship and finding a sense of home in the face of adversity.
About the Author
Victoria Williamson is an award-winning author who grew up in Scotland surrounded by hills, books, and an historical farm estate which inspired many of her early adventure stories and spooky tales. After studying Physics at the University of Glasgow, she set out on her own real-life adventures, which included teaching maths and science in Cameroon, training teachers in Malawi, teaching English in China and working with children with additional support needs in the UK. Victoria currently works part time writing KS2 books for the education company Twinkl and spends the rest of her time writing novels, and visiting schools, libraries and literary festivals to give author talks and run creative writing workshops.
Victoria’s previous novels include The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle, The Boy with the Butterfly Mind, Hag Storm, and War of the Wind. She has won the Bolton Children’s Fiction Award 2020/2021, The YA-aldi Glasgow Secondary School Libraries Book Award 2023, and has been shortlisted for the Week Junior Book Awards 2023, The Leeds Book Awards 2023, the Red Book Award 2023, the James Reckitt Hull Book Awards 2021, The Trinity School Book Awards 2021, and longlisted for the ABA South Coast Book Awards 2023, the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2020, and the Branford Boase Award 2019.
Her latest novel, The Pawnshop of Stolen Dreams, is a middle grade fantasy inspired by classic folklore. Twenty percent of the author royalties for this book are donated to CharChar Literacy, an organisation working to improve children’s literacy levels in Malawi.
You can find out more about Victoria’s books, school visits and free resources for schools on her website: www.strangelymagical.com
This is my second Victoria Williamson book and it is all down to The Writes Read as if it wasn't for their blog tour I may not have picked up her books. I know this will not be my last Victoria Williamson book.
Norah's Ark was a stunning portrayal of this country today covering such issues as Homelessness, Climate Change and also included childhood illness so beautifully that the reader will find it very hard not to be moved.
Norah and Adam were the perfect main characters who were world's apart except for that same longings which they both kept on secret lists and their love of animals.
Victoria's writing on how the Benefits system was so inciteful it gave me the feels as many moons ago i had my own real life experiences and this move me so much. I belief that Norah's Ark should be a book read by all School's as there are so many subjects which could be discussed and would make very interesting lessons.
I remember that when I finished the book I had to take my self to bed as I was an emotional wreck and again ended up with a book hangover. I don't think that I can ever forget Norah's Ark.
For all the above reasons I am giving Norah's Ark 5 stars.