Noah loves his new house, he has his own room and he has even made friends at his new school. Noah wants to stay! But that has never happened yet-the supernatural, centuries old curse still follows the Bradley family and every home they have ever lived in is destroyed. He has a duffel bag with his most precious possessions that is never unpacked – just in case. This is an exciting premise that will immediately grip young readers and Noah is a completely believable, modern character with the same issues about fitting in and finding friends, that readers will all recognise and this makes the danger he faces all the more thrilling. When the inevitable disaster strikes, Noah blames himself for ignoring the warning signs and with his father away and his mother in hospital it is up to him to continue his mother’s quest to find the other Bradley’s and the magical objects which together could break the curse. One of the delights of this fast-paced adventure is the characterisation of Noah, his younger brother Billy and of Neena- the neighbour who is a social outcast at school but a brave, resourceful and true friend. Noah’s growing maturity allows him to see her true value as well as recognise his own failings. This highly readable tale really does have the perfect blend of social realism, thrilling adventure and a supernatural mystery to solve.
Amber Lee Dodd writes with tenderness and thunder, and her storytelling is a bolt of brilliance. Kiran Millwood Hargrave The Bradley family are constantly escaping from a centuries old curse which means that every home they ever live in is destroyed by a typhoon or flash flood that affects no other houses on the street, or they are chased out of town by a flock of persistent birds. They have just moved to their thirteenth house and Noah wants this one to work out - he's got some good friends at school and desperately wants himself and his deaf brother Billy to put down roots. But the curse returns - so he must find a way to break it.
Amber Lee Dodd is a writer and playwright whose work has been performed around the country and published internationally. Amber drew on extensive experience working with families dealing with disabilities to write WE ARE GIANTS. She says:This experience led me to writing characters the children wanted but scarcely appear in children's fiction: disabled people who are strong, happy and independent. These children come from ordinary backgrounds, with parents and siblings who deal with the problems we all deal with. My book is not a book about disability; it's a book about grief and growing up. It features a strong mother character who just happens to have a disability. Amber has also recently been a writer in residence for The Expansionists and a playwright for the young playwrights programme at Chichester Festival Theatre, where her short play 'Tea with Grandma' was performed. She was awarded a Distinction in her MA in Creative Writing at Chichester University.
