Norah's Ark

January 1, 2025
Grades 4-7 Social-service workers have placed 11-year-old Norah and her father in another temporary accommodation, but with Dad repeatedly lying about his job prospects and about Norah's mother's identity, their future looks bleak. On weekends, Norah hangs out at the park, where she meets Adam. Once a swimmer who dreamed of becoming an Olympic champion or a lifeguard, Adam felt his dreams were unattainable when he was hospitalized and treated for leukemia. Released after his recovery, he feels imprisoned in his palatial home by his overprotective parents. Befriending Norah gives him a taste of freedom and adventure. When floodwaters rise in town, he courageously swims into a flooded basement, where he saves a girl and a family of cats from drowning. Despite the many plot twists, the narrative is easy to follow, partly because the characters are well defined and lifelike, making their reactions and revelations credible. Despite their troubling circumstances, the main characters are strong in their convictions and admirable in their actions. Norah and Adam narrate their stories, usually in alternating chapters, throughout this intriguing novel.

COPYRIGHT(2025) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 15, 2025
Two lonely 11-year-olds in Hull, a city in the north of England, bond over their love of animals. Now that his leukemia's in remission, Adam desperately wants to return to school and be able to swim again, but his protective mother keeps him close and isolated. Norah and her intermittently employed father have been dealing with housing insecurity; they live with the fear that social services might put Norah in foster care. Their current housing requires them to be out during the day, so she spends her weekends riding her bike in the park. One day, Adam and Norah meet thanks to a nest of orphaned baby birds that they've both been keeping an eye on, and they join forces to protect the fledglings. A friendship quickly blooms between the two, who have a hunger for connection and a shared interest in saving animals in distress. The tension ratchets up when the city floods, and the two friends try to rescue the stray animals--a dog, cat, and kittens--they've been helping. Through her leads' accessible, compelling, first-person narration, Williamson authentically explores the way social class differences have shaped the young people's experiences. Norah's father, a builder who lost his job, must frequently make tough choices to secure the services they need; meanwhile, Adam's family can afford a cleaner and a private tutor. Norah, who presents white, has a learning disability; Adam is cued Black. A touching, nuanced story with engaging characters that gently explores pressing themes.(Fiction. 8-12)

COPYRIGHT(2025) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

December 1, 2024

Gr 3-7-A heartwarming story about two tweens whose very different lives intersect in their northern English town. Norah and her father are constantly on the move in temporary government housing and use food banks to eat; Adam and his family live in a lavish house on the edge of the neighborhood park. Norah spends her days riding around the park, caring for the injured and abandoned animals she finds. On one of her rides, she notices that a nest of baby birds is missing. She finds that they have been rescued by Adam. As Adam and Norah begin caring for the birds, they realize they share a love of animals and work to care for others. Slowly, they learn each other's secrets: Norah is bullied at school and longs for a stable home life, while Adam wants to get back to normal after his cancer recovery. When a flood comes to their town, the duo work to overcome their fears, save some animals, and rescue a runaway girl. Readers will root for Norah and Adam as they learn to find the courage to stand up for themselves and be heard by the adults in their lives. VERDICT A resonant work of realistic fiction that touches on housing and food insecurity, empathy, and unlikely friendships. Recommended for tween collections.-Charla Hollingsworth

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.