Blue Moon Day

A new book from Anne Fine is a cast-iron guarantee of good writing, sharp intelligence and a sometimes dark but always ultimately affectionate sense of humour. This title is no exception. Each of its short stories describes a different school experience, from a boy going from his cell to lessons at a Young Offenders Unit to a blind pupil attending normal school for the first time. The possibility of quickly developing personal drama is never far away from any classroom, whether between pupils or directly involving the teacher. Fine has forgotten nothing here, and young readers wanting to find accurate descriptions of some of the typical highs and lows of any school day need look no further. As a linking device, all these stories are also being read by and commented on by Sam, a fictional pupil travelling in the family car with his mother who is inspecting the various minders of the old or sick for which she has overall responsibility. Each story helps Sam understand more about himself and some of the issues he has had to deal with at school and at home with a soldier-father, always in a rotten mood immediately after returning from duty. The only disappointment in this lovely book is that there isn’t even more of it. Parents should surely enjoy it just as much as their children. Writing of this quality transcends age.