Norah’s Ark: Blog Tour

The Blurb:

Two very different lives. One shared hope for a brighter future. No time to waste. The flood is coming…

Eleven-year-old Norah Day lives in temporary accommodation, relies on foodbanks for dinner, and doesn’t have a mum. But she’s happy enough, as she has a dad, a pet mouse, a pet spider, and a whole zoo of rescued local wildlife to care for. Eleven-year-old Adam Sinclair lives with his parents in a nice house with a big garden, a private tutor, and everything he could ever want. But his life isn’t perfect – far from it. He’s recovering from leukaemia and is questioning his dream of becoming a champion swimmer. When a nest of baby birds brings them together, Norah and Adam discover they’re not so different after all. Can Norah help Adam find his confidence again? Can Adam help Norah solve the mystery of her missing mother? And can their teamwork save their zoo of rescued animals from the rising flood? Offering powerful lessons in empathy, Norah’s Ark is a hopeful and uplifting middle-grade tale for our times about friendship and finding a sense of home in the face of adversity.

The Review:
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I even managed to read it all in a day whilst home for the week, it was such a quick read and the chapters were short enough that I found myself flying through it. I really loved the two main characters, Norah and Adam, and loved seeing their friendship blossom. Their lives are completely different, yet they both care so deeply for animals, and bond over the baby birds. I enjoyed the pacing of this book. It never felt like it was dragging or rushing too much, having a perfect balance throughout. I think the way the story progressed was excellent as well, especially as more animals were introduced. It was so lovely to see Norah’s deep passion for caring for animals, from your everyday household pet, to tiny (or rather large) Boris the spider! My favourite animal companions were Lady and Bingo, the cat and dog introduced in this book, and I thought they really helped the focus of the story.

Norah and Adam’s lives couldn’t be further apart, and yet their friendship is so beautiful, and both understand each other’s situations, that I couldn’t help but love them! Each of them judges the other initially by what they look like/where they live or how they speak, and to see them go beyond this was lovely.

This book is full of friendship, both human and animal, and differences, and how people can change. It was beautifully written, and a book that will stay with me for a very long time. If you’ve not added this to your TBR already, I’d highly recommend you do.