The Wild Way Home by Sophie Kirtley - reviewed by Kelly McCaughrain

I was lucky enough to get hold of a proof copy of this beautiful MG debut by Sophie Kirtley. If you’re seeking escapism (and who isn’t these days) you couldn’t go much further than Stone Age Ireland, and that’s where Charlie finds himself when he runs away from home, upset because his brother has been born with a heart condition, and travels back in time.

I love the cover!

In the Stone Age forest he rescues a boy from drowning and they set off together, both searching for their families. But there are wolves and hunger and men with spears to negotiate and Charlie has no idea how to get back to the present day.

This is a story about how some things, like family and friendship, haven’t changed, even since the Stone Age. Charlie's ambivalence about his new brother is really well handled and touching. Nature is like another character in the story and I thought the forest was beautifully described. The relationship between the two boys is convincing as they attempt to communicate and gradually come to trust each other and the ending is warm and heartfelt.

The book is out in July and if you’re not getting your summer holiday this year, I highly recommend a trip to Stone Age Ireland instead!

Kelly McCaughrain is the author of the Children's Books Ireland Book of the Year,

Flying Tips for Flightless Birds. 

She is the Children's Writing Fellow for Northern Ireland #CWFNI

She also blogs at The Blank Page

@KMcCaughrain

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