"Bravery, friendship and family bonds propel this fantastical, emotional quest"
March 2022 Book of the Month
At its core, Darren Simpson’s Furthermoor is a heartfelt, pacey quest that tells of a boy’s struggle to find a way through grief and bullying. Poignantly underpinned by a comforting belief that loved ones we’ve lost never truly leave us, this highly readable fantasy-meets-real-world novel sees a broken family coming together.
Ever since Bren’s sister Evie was killed in a car crash, he’s isolated himself from everyone. He spends his days at school trying to avoid truly atrocious bullies, and in place of playing football with his mates in his free time, he’s retreated into Furthermoor, a weird world of mechanical animals, where Evie is still alive. Bren feels safe in Furthermoor, until Featherley flits onto the scene, a strange creature who speaks uncomfortable truths and compels Bren to confront his fears: “You’re letting yourself down, young fleshling. A master in this realm, a runt in the other.”
In a Coraline-esque turn of events, Furthermoor infiltrates the real world (“This wasn’t home. This was Furthermoor”) and a gripping race against time unfolds. The plotting is sharp, with clear cliff-hanger chapter endings signposting the dangers that lie ahead, and an empowering message about bravery ringing clear. In Evie’s words, “Bravery isn’t always big and loud, Bren. It can be quiet too.”
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This heartfelt and captivating story had me on the edge of my seat as I was dragged into the darker side of Furthermoor
After losing his sister last year, Bren isolates himself from friends and family with nothing but his grief and his bully and tormentor Shaun to keep him company. At least, he’s got Furthermoor to escape to. Furthermoor, a refuge deep in Bren’s imagination, is a place where things are simple, where he can be happy and most importantly a world where he still has his sister.
This was a heartfelt and captivating story that I could not put down. With its beautifully written world full of clockwork and crystals and its realistic relatable characters.
I found myself suffering alongside Bren as he faced all his struggles and cheering him on as he started to overcome them.... Read Full Review
Read this book for an emotional rollercoaster of imagination and courage.
This book is about Bren, a 12 year old boy who has had a really difficult time - he has recently lost his sister in an accident and his mum and dad are struggling to cope. His dad never leaves the house and his mum is always at work. At school, things are no better where Bren finds himself the target of the school bullies.
He has an amazing imagination though and creates a world to escape to called Furthermoor. It's a mechanical world where his dead sister, Evie, still lives in his mind. Bren feels safe in Furthermoor with Evie by his side, until Featherly arrives.
Everything in Furthermoor is created by Bren's imagination but Bren can not imagine Featherly away - even his magic watch doesn't help.... Read Full Review
Bren escapes a bully by creating an imaginary clockwork world where he can be happy. But will reality catch up with him there?
In this story, Bren escapes from a bully by creating an imaginary clockwork world which he can access through his special watch. In Furthermoor he can control everything and his sister Evie is alive. When a new boy starts in his class and stands up to the bully, Bren goes to Furthermoor to ask his sister what he should do. This time a mysterious person is there, the Featherly, who steals Bren’s watch. How is it possible for there to be something in his imaginary world which he didn’t create? If Bren doesn’t get his watch back and leave Furthermoor he will die in real life.
This book has a good message for children about the importance of standing up for yourself.... Read Full Review
