In a tradition of stories going right back to Beowulf, referenced in the book, this is a tale of stolen treasure, trickery and courage. Aidan is struggling to keep things together at home: his mother has been sectioned and his father seems almost paralysed with despair. It falls to Aidan to deliver the sacks of mail his postman father is hiding in their garden shed. So when thieves steal his bike Aidan has to go after them. It’s here that magic – old magic – intrudes into the contemporary setting. There are no portals suddenly opening, it’s not the sort of magic to bring special powers; hard to define, harder to pin down – ‘a sort of stillness that moved’ says Aidan – human lives are of no consequence to it and if Aidan emerges a hero it’s due to his own strengths. Gripping, compulsive reading, an exceptional book.
Authors Sara Crowe (Bone Jack), Rupert Wallis (All Sorts of Possible) and Natasha Carthew (The Light that Gets Lost) all understand old magic and have written similarly powerful and enthralling stories. ~ Andrea Reece
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Nominated for the Carnegie Medal.Longlisted for the Branford Boase Award.Aidan needs his bike to deliver all the mail his postman dad's been hoarding since his mum was sectioned. But his bike's just been stolen.In the early morning, Aidan chases after the thieves, hellbent on getting it back. When he reaches the abandoned factory where they've stashed his bike, he has moments to grab it and escape. But he finds more than just stolen goods. There's a mysterious prisoner chained to the floor. This is the story of why Aidan goes back.Recalling Alan Garner and Susan Cooper, Why I Went Back is a dark tale of magic, myth and undelivered mail.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed Why I Went Back and determined it is suitable for children aged 13-18 years old
Why I Went Back features in the following genres: Featured Books for Young Adults, Recommendations, PSHE: Special educational needs and disability (SEND), Personal Social Health Economic (PSHE), Children’s, Teenage and Educational, PSHE: Family Issues, Recommended Children's eBooks, Books Reviewed by our Reader Review Panels, Science Fiction, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Stories about Family and Friends, Featured Books for 13+ readers
Why I Went Back is available in Ebook, Paperback
Why I Went Back was written by James Clammer and published by Andersen Press Ltd
£4.99