LoveReading4Kids Says
LoveReading4Kids Says
Winner of the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing 2023 | Shortlisted for the UKLA Book Awards 2023: 11 - 14
At first glance this looks like a short, light novel but how wrong anyone would be to think that. Translated from the original Welsh, this is a deep thought-provoking novel – filled with actions and philosophical questions that create a lasting impression.
Dylan was only 6 when the world as he knew it stopped. The electricity went off, everyone left - and just him and his Mum were left to survive on a remote Welsh mountainside above the village of Nebo - with no services. Now 14, Dylan has learned new survival skills and is as wise as any adult. On a scavenging raid into Nebo, they find a blank notebook with a blue cover and decide to use it to record their thoughts and actions – neither reading the others writings.
The two voices in the notebook show the scale, horror, and commitment to survive for each other – and the secrets they both keep. The background to the story is so strange, quite unsettling in places, that the reader is entirely caught up in their day-to-day struggles, their fears, and their triumphs.
Set in such a bleak scenario the book could be very dark – but although it does have moments of darkness, the love and sense of hope pervading the story wins out creating an immersive, emotive experience. A difficult read in terms of its subject matter but one that will live with the reader in a very positive way.
Tricia Adams
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About
The Blue Book of Nebo Synopsis
Dylan was six when The End came, back in 2018; when the electricity went off for good, and the 'normal' 21st century world he knew disappeared. Now he's 14 and he and his mam have survived in their isolated hilltop house above the village of Nebo in north-west Wales, learning new skills, and returning to old ways of living.
Despite their close understanding, the relationship between mother and son changes subtly as Dylan must take on adult responsibilities. And they each have their own secrets, which emerge as, in turn, they jot down their thoughts and memories in a found notebook - the Blue Book of Nebo.
In this prize-winning novel, Manon Steffan Ros not only explores the human capacity to find new strengths when faced with the need to survive, but also questions the structures and norms of the contemporary world.
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This is a brutal and beautiful YA novel, translated from the original Welsh by its author. It is such a stark and terrifying story – the world is changed forever by some sort of event, and most people die or disappear. There’s no electricity or connection anywhere, and a boy and his mother have to find a way to survive and to live. ~ Katya Balen, Guest Editor January 2023
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9781913102784 |
| Publication date: |
6th January 2022 |
| Author: |
Manon Steffan Ros |
| Publisher: |
Firefly Press Ltd |
| Format: |
Paperback |
| Pagination: |
146 pages |
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Press Reviews
Manon Steffan Ros Press Reviews
‘As insightful as it is honest.’ Mat Tobin
‘Captivating. Raw. Memorable. Heartwarming.' Jo Bowers
‘This is storytelling at its most lean, at its fittest, at its very best.’ Gary Raymond
‘A profound and deeply affecting novella.' Simon Fisher
‘An unforgettable story about survival -
he survival of a language, a culture, and of all humanity.’ Francesca Rhydderch
‘I loved the fragile tender heart of this story.’ Zillah Bethell
Author
About Manon Steffan Ros
Manon Steffan Ros was born in Snowdonia and worked as an actress before becoming a writer. She writes for adults and children and has won the Wales Book of the Year for her adult fiction as well as being four-times winner of the Tir na N'Og Welsh children's literature award.
She has also won Eisteddfod and National Theatre Wales awards for her drama writing. She lives in north Wales with her sons.
Photo credit Geriant Ros
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