Movies Showing Nowhere by Yorick Goldewijk

 I might be jumping things a bit with today's read...it doesn't hit the shelves until October. Well, that's if you don't speak Dutch. This book was released in 2021 and was suppose to hit the English speaking world the beginning of last month...but didn't make it thanks to a shifting schedule. Whoever thinks the publishing realm is easy or predictable, has simply missed the mark. So now, it appears to be hitting the world this coming Fall, but I couldn't wait to read it until then because it really looks that good.

MOVIES SHOWING NOWHERE

by Yorick Goldewijk

Translated by Laura Watkinson

Pushkin Children's Books

Middle Grade Fantasy

256 pages

ages 8 to 12

COMING...

OCTOBER 1st!!!

A prizewinning middle grade fantasy adventure about memories, loss and time travel.

On the day Cato came into the world, her mother left it. Cato's dad has been a mere shadow of a person ever since, and Cato has given up reaching out to him. When she finds a mysterious card from an abandoned movie theatre and discovers it has reopened, Cato decides to go take a look. There appears to be something strange about the cinema. The movies showing there are no ordinary movies and somehow the cinema seems to be in connection with the past...

Looking for adventure and the truth about her mother, Cato is swept into a dangerous journey through time and memories, straight to a place deep within her heart. A place she had always managed to keep locked away. And then she faces a choice that will change her life, and that of her father, forever.

GOODREADS     /      PUBLISHER

MY TIDBITS

The mysterious atmosphere of old theaters meets a fantastical journey into memories to create an adventurous read with tons of heart.

The day Cato was born, her mother died, and this has hung over her and her father's heads their entire lives. He barely recognizes her existence and the only reason things run somewhat smoothly is thanks to the busy-body neighbor, who seems to think she's part of the family. Cato wishes everything could change. When she discovers a card announcing the opening of the old cinema, her curiosity leads her to the theater where she meets the new owner. Cato agrees to work for cinema and soon learns that only one visitor comes each day, and that the movie screen isn't what it appears to be. Instead, it's the portal into memories...and the owner of the cinema claims it's part of Cato's job to step into it.

It's no wonder that this book has won several prizes. The writing flows very well (kudos to the translator). The story carries that magical touch to invite to dreams. Cato is a kind girl, who is at odds with the world around her. She's a bit prickly because of that but in a way which makes her easy to sympathize with.  The characters around her don't really gain as much depth in the same way, but this is also the heart of the plot. It's a tale of discovery as she learns more about the people around her and, therefore, about herself.

Everything about this read carries a lightly mysterious and magical flair. From the secretive neighbor, who seems to be hiding an agenda, to the odd old woman on the street, nothing is as it seems. Then, there's the old cinema with its amazing eerie atmosphere. Even without tons of descriptions, the author brings the dusty, historic building across vividly, creating a setting which invites to adventure. Readers will wish they could visit it themselves and wonder why anyone would be willing to drink squash juice served with popcorn. 

The story rounds off very well by the end and creates a read with tons of heart, which surrounds loss and how circumstances can change a person's view on life. There were a couple hiccups on the logic end, but these barely surface thanks to the smoothness of the rest of the read. It's a lovely, fantastical journey with heart, which touches on a difficult theme and offers hope.

Review: The Song of Seven by Tonke Dragt, Translated by Laura Watkinson

THE SONG OF SEVEN

by Tonke Dragt

Translated by Laura Watkinson

Original Title: De Zevensprong

Pushkin Press

Middle Grade Fantasy

1st published 1966

COMING. . .

NOVEMBER 3rd!!!

At the end of every schoolday, new teacher Mr Van der Steg entertains his pupils with tall tales of incredible events, which he claims really happened to him - involving hungry lions and haunted castles, shipwrecks and desert islands. One day, when he can't think of anything suitably exciting to tell them, he invents a story about a very important letter which he's expecting that evening, with news of a perilous mission. Evening arrives and so, to his surprise, does an enigmatic letter...

And so Mr Van der Steg is drawn into a real-life adventure, featuring a grumpy coachman, a sinister uncle, eccentric ancestors, a hidden treasure, an ancient prophecy and Geert-Jan, a young boy who is being kept prisoner in the mysterious House of Stairs. Although the treasure rightfully belongs to Geert-Jan, his uncle is determined to seize it for himself. As Mr Van der Steg, with the help of his pupils, sets out to rescue the boy, he becomes more and more entangled with the strange history of the Seven Ways, the House of Stairs and the powerful Conspiracy of Seven. 

Warwick Prize for Women in Translation Nominee for Longlist (2017)

 MY TIDBITS

This is an English translation of a well-known Dutch tale, one that was even made into a television show.

Mr. Van der Steg is a teacher, who loves to tell adventurous tales to his pupils the last minutes of school—something the pupils enjoy as well. When he announces one day that he's waiting for a letter, said letter is suddenly swept to him in a storm and signed Gr...Gr. He's sure it's a practical joke thought out by some students, but when a carriage arrives to take him to the mysterious Gr...Gr..., the mysterious tale begins.

I have not read the original Dutch version nor have I seen the television version, and knew nothing of this particular tale.

Different cultures have a different way of telling stories (especially when it's during an earlier decade). The main character of this one is a teacher in his mid-twenties, who has a couple of personalities quirks which are sure to grab young readers' interest. He finds himself in an adventure, where many things are odd and others come across as pure fantasy. Strange things lurk around every bend—mysterious coaches, haunted pubs, magicians and a secret treasure—and each element accompanies an even stranger side character. It has quirks, oddities, and a lovely dose of fun which pulls into an imaginary yet real life world. It's exactly the kind of adventure kids can devour.

The writing is whimsical but, coming from an earlier time, does carry a more traditional feel. Some terms won't be familiar, but it's not enough to let the reader fall out of the story. This is told from an adult's—albeit an interesting ones—point of view, which, combined with the vocabulary, might scare off more reluctant readers if they were to read this one their own.

A wonderful mystery unfolds, which is so wrapped up in the odd happenings, that the clues and truth is hard to guess or find. It's fun to see what will happen next, and there's a nice level of tension the whole way through. As is with these tales, the end truth roots in reality and most of the fantasy elements shed their magic. But there's still a dust of possibility left behind, which allows dreams to fly.

As a translation to introduce English speaking kids to tales from other cultures, this is a well-done book and will draw readers in.