Catch The Kingdom By The Sea Authored By Robert Westall Presented As File
read this aged, the same age as the boy in the story, and it has stayed with me ever since, I remember it being the first book that I got completely lost in and couldn't stop thinking about for a long while afterwards, Would highly recommend. Compared with "Goodnight, Mr. Tom" by Michelle Magorian, another WW II novel for young readers, I could give this one onlystars,
It held my interest for hours yesterday, but I was so disappointed with the ending,
I wonder if this is based on Robert Westall's own experiences Excellent story of a young boy's survival after his family's home is bombed, Written as a children's story, it has some very dark and seriously unpleasant scenes, especially the ending, Some people may find this book to be inappropriate for children but today's middle schoolaged children have heard it all and should be able to handle it,
I'm hoping to find more books by this author especially some of his many "cat" books,
This was the audio version of the book and the narrator, Ron Keith, was very good, This is a coming of age story about a boy and his dog, set in the north of England during WWII, Harry's adventure along the coast is fraught with challenge after challenge, and it seems that everyone he meets is two shades shy of normal, This is a bleak and flawed landscape, filled with people we fear, people we pity, people we would likely avoid, Harry pushes on with a wisdom well beyond his years, even as his country fights for its own existence, It is how he chooses to combat all these challenges, and overcome his own weaknesses that make this book well worth reading, for children and adults, I failed to read this book as a child so decided to give it a quick read! What I quite like about Robert Westall's wartime stories is his attention to detail and realistic locations.
As the plot developed I could actually follow on my phone's map where the protagonist was heading, I believe this book is based in part on Westall's own childhood memories of the war growing up in South Shields area, A wonderful coming of age book regarding a twelve year old Enlgish boy whose house and family were bombed during WWII, While initially traveling alone, he finds a dog and both bond and search for a sense of belonging and a place to call home, Before finding their Kingdom by the Sea, they face many difficult situations,
This beautifully written gem is an incredible book, Once again Westall's young adult book deals with very heavy topics and leaves the reader in awe of his ability to search the soul and clearly identify human emotions.
I love it when books suck you in from the very first page, The action never stops in this story as Harry tries to find his place in the world after his house is bombed during the Blitz, And, unlike other many other books that promise “extras” at the end, the bonus material here is well worth a read, with plenty of suggestions for further research.
I was a little surprised by some of the content nothing happens, but there were a couple of “suggestive”scenes, so maybe not for young children, A very realistic and exciting read, however, A gorgeous book, genuinely moving and sweet, The characters, both good and bad, are subtle and realistic, Though the book is aimed at young adults, Westall doesn't patronise or shy away from more adult ideas, and for this reason, I found it still spoke to me, despite being many years outside the target audience.
He doesn't try to lead the reader with absolutes, but plays the events and themes with ambiguities, particularly the ending the supposed 'happy' ending unable to be just that after everything Harry's experienced.
Highly recommended. At times, the quality of writing was wonderful and I enjoyed the story a lot,
Then there were a couple of parts that crossed quite far into uncomfortable and combined with the jarring, perplexing ending, took this from great to "it's ok" for me.
It is not a book I would give anyone else's child, Different children can handle different things and I strongly recommend parents of impressionable children read this slender volume first,
Specific areas of concern with spoiler Reading this book before teaching it with a yearclass.
. this book absolutely broke my heart, I really felt for Harry as the end of the book I feel shouldve been extremely happy he finds his family after believing theyve all been killed, But is he really happy
I feel his story followed his journey beautifully, This book goes through so many subjects from Harrys utter heartbreak at the beginning believing his family have all been killed, to all the different character types he meets and it even touches upon sexual abuse.
I wish Id read this book when I was a lot younger, it has the power to really change a younger ones view of what we have and what we dont always have.
The first novel I ever read, Intensely emotional for a young teenager, I could relate intimately to the pivotal character with his youthful perspective on the world and people around him, His situation of loneliness in a war ravaged Britain, poses a challenge for the character and reader combined such is Westall's ability to make you feel like you are with the protagonist at every page.
When on a worrisome walkabout once, I almost slept under an upturned boat just like the character I found a warmer hostel, . . Still got the original publication, A very sentimental possession this book the end is a spoiler in itself and makes it a book you will never read twice but always savour,
this has always been my favorite of Robert Westall's books, but I didn't appreciate it in as much wholeness, reading on and off and knowing what was coming, as I did the first time I read it.
I have, happily, managed to put my hands on the review I wrote when I first read this book in, and here 'tis, A bit longwinded and full of spoilers!
I'm on pageand I'm already in tears, That, I think, is a sign of great writing: because I don't yet know or understand this character, I don't know the people or things he's lost, but I've obviously sympathized/empathized with him so instantly that I can feel emotional about it all.
Later Very episodic, Harry is bombed out, loses his entire family, and rather than be taken in by smothering Cousin Elsie he strikes out on his own, Right in the beginning he meets a bombedout dog who becomes his protector and closest companion, He begins by living under a boat on the beach at Newcastle for a few days, and eventually works his way up the coast to Lindisfarneliving hand to mouth, making it.
After making a list of the books incidents I discovered a very interesting thing, I was trying to remember a characters name, and realized she doesnt ever identify herself as anything but “the Mermaid”her fathers old name for her, There is another character in the book who is actually named Merman, Both characters are after Harrys affection, the touch of his youth, brightness, attention, The Mermaids “seduction” works in a different way from Mermans which is overtly sexual, but Harry does lift her up, eat her food, sleep in her bed wearing her sons clothes.
Its like hes always seduced by the seathe sea creatures keep coming at him as he makes his way along the shoreand theyre always dangerous, and if he listens to the sirens song hes always on the verge of drowning, of getting in over his head.
Which happens literally on his way back from Lindisfarne where he has a bad runin with local kids and, in the absolute cold blood of necessity, deliberately and consciously breaks a kids ankle, when Harrys caught by the tide, soaked to the skin, and ends up spending the night in a refuge tower in the middle of the flooded causeway.
And check this outafter his fight with the sea itself, which he wins gets himself and his dog safe into the tower, it says: “The very air he breathed was full of salty spray, so that he breathed a mixture of air and water, half boy, half fish.
”
Hes turned into a merman himself! And sure enough, the next character he ends up withMr, MurgatroydHarry asks directly, “Can I help” Expecting seduction of some kind, but this time hes prepared for it, And Mr. M. says, “Help Help with what” So Harrys taken the offensive and offered his servicesit turns out that what hes needed for now is to be a substitute sonand Harry wins over the locals himself to work out the kinks in the plan.
He ends up spending the rest of the summer there,
Mr. M wants to adopt him, so they go back to Newcastle to work things outand discover that Harrys family completely survived the bombing, but were tossed by the blast into the neighbors yard so the wardens thought
they were a different family.
You think this is a happy ending, the great reunion Theres a twist,
Dad says, “A big lad like you, running away”
Dulcie, the sister says, “And you werent even scratchedCowardy cowardy custard, ”
Harry thinks of “his whole kingdom, that hed found himself, made for himself, And on the other side, these shabby angry bossy people full of whining selfpity for what they had suffered, Narrow, narrow”
So Mr, M. drives away with the dog and leaves Harry to his family, where hell have to “keep his own mouth shut, over all the years before he got back to his kingdom by the sea.
”
But you know he will, because hes amphibious nowhe can live in the water or on the land,
Reading this book again nearlyyears later, I find the narrowminded reception of his return to his family to be a little too forced.
But its still a great book,
Tori: Lindisfarne is Windy Islethis book was my first encounter with the Northumbrian coast! And now I have climbed around in the WWII ruins where Harry hides out on the beach.
.