October, October: WINNER OF THE YOTO CARNEGIE MEDAL 2022

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Written in Katya Balen's heart-stoppingly beautiful style, this book is a feast for the senses, filled with the woodsmoke smell of crisp autumn mornings and the sound of wellies squelching in river mud. It's a magical book, a young girl lives in the forrest/woods with her father and they enjoy a very happy life in the outdoors. What I really liked about this one is the fact that the author made the voice feel so child-like and yet still really beautiful and lyrical. But when the twins are whisked off to Jungledrop, a magical Unmapped Kingdom in charge of conjuring our world's weather, things get wildly out of hand. She is also the author of children’s book The Space We’re In, which is also published by Bloomsbury.

However, we follow her as she navigates her journey through school for the first time and socialising with her peers. The school environment, which was difficult and different but full of wonderful characters like Yusuf and Daisy.

It might not work for everyone, but it worked for me, as did the autumnal imagery and the focus on atmosphere over plot. Here in this story, we can all find reassurance and comfort, particularly at this time of upheaval, when many of our comforting routines are being replaced by things that feel strange and unsettling. Willow is a very gifted child that everyone finds a little disconcerting, when her parents are killed in a car accident those around her take care of her and their lives are changed forever.

Thank you to Bloomsbury and LoveReading 4 Kids, for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for my review.She makes pals with fun Yusuf, begins mudlarking, does well at school and begins to accept her Mother's gifts and kindnesses. Yet, when her mum reappears on October’s twelfth birthday, Dad is horribly injured in an accident and October is forced to leave her wild home in the woods to stay in London with her mum. As an adult reading this novel I sense there is a lot more to October than being “wild” and it took a lot for me not to try and put her in a box and label her.

I cared for her dad, and her mum, and Stig, and her newfound schoolfriends, and by the end I was just happy to see them be happy, even if I didn't think Balen put quite enough thought into resolving the issues that were making them unhappy in the first place. And if she finds the long-lost Forever Fern before the twins, both Jungledrop and our world will crumble. There’s some wonderful writing to enjoy, particularly in the tactile and invigorative natural world. Worst of all, October hates her mother and refuses all her efforts to build a relationship – all she wants is to go home with Dad. Yourself and Bob are much cherished in our booky world and I personally really appreciate everything that you do.The discovery that the wild can exist in every one of us, whether we live in London or the woods, whether we grow our own food or mudlark or create jewellery. I was at my last school for 4 years and we had ********* book fairs every term – and every term, I was disappointed by the narrow range of books. Only one of them will inherit the family fortune and so a race is afoot to save the dwindling Petty-Squabble empire and win the love of their parents. You guys were so fab and Dawn was such a lovely presence in the schools - I will absolutely be in touch next time I'm in your neck of the woods. To begin with it was not a book I could get into but I put my trust in this book and was very glad to.