Georgie

LoveReading4Kids Says

April 2026 Book of the Month

Beautiful, boldly brutal, and seared with hope, Malachy Doyle’s Georgie is a remarkable story of the transformative power of kindness. Published under the Firefly Classics from Wales banner, a series dedicated to shining a light on notable Welsh stories “told in many voices, grown from the many layers of the rich and surprising loam that is the land and the people of Wales”, as Nicola Davies, Children’s Laureate for Wales, shares in her introduction, the novel serves as an extraordinary reminder of the power of well-crafted words as it follows fourteen-year-old Georgie’s journey from trauma-induced rage, self-loathing and self-destruction to realising that somewhere down the line, he might just be OK.

On the eve of moving to a new home in Aberant, West Wales, “where they send you when they’ve run out of ideas, when there’s nowhere left to try”, Georgie is overcome by anger (“Leave me alone. I want to be alone. I’m a nasty horrible boy and I don’t want anyone near me”) and feelings of betrayal, abandonment and powerlessness.

While he hasn’t spoken for years, Georgie’s internal voice reveals his vulnerability, his desire for “someone, anyone, to come and put their arms around me. To tell me it’s just a bad dream. To tell me it’s all right. But it’s not all right. And no one comes”. 

Then, after arriving in Aberant, where he has a new room “full of beautiful things”, his new teacher Tommo and a girl called Shannon really see Georgie, and understand what he needs. Softly-spoken Tommo gives him a book about birds (“You’re mine, beautiful birds! All mine, Tommo said”) and they take nature walks together.

At the same time, perceptive Shannon sees herself in Georgie, and he sees himself in her. She brings him hope: “She’s like me, really. I hadn’t seen that before. Further down the line, of course, but I’ve this sneaky feeling that in a whole lot of ways she’s just like me.”  

Slowly, Georgie finds the strength to release his grief and traumatic memories as the story shifts to a moving note of hope. Potently direct and relatable, the writing and story cut to the core of what understanding and kindness can do.

Reviewed by Joanne Owen
Joanne Owen is a writer, reviewer and workshop presenter whose lifelong love of books began when she was growing up in Pembrokeshire, Wales.
More reviews by Joanne Owen

About Georgie

14-year-old Georgie hasn't spoken in years. Withdrawn, isolated and full of rage, no one trusts him and no one gets close to him.

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