Books For Keeps
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Articles
  • Past Issues
  • Latest Issue
  • Authors and Artists
  • Latest News
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
May 20, 2022/in Fiction 10-14 Middle/Secondary recovery, family /by Andrea Reece
BfK Rating:
BfK 254 May 2022
Reviewer: Nicholas Tucker
ISBN: 978-1526622990
Price: £12.99
Publisher: Bloomsbury Children's Books
Genre: Fiction
Age Range: 10-14 Middle/Secondary
Length: 336pp
Buy the Book

The Light in Everything

Author: Katya BalenIllustrator: Sydney Smith

This story is told in alternating short chapters by Zofia and Tom, two warring eleven-year-olds forced into a newly re-constructed family. Initially Zofia wants to keep her Polish doctor father all to herself in their cottage by the sea. Tom meanwhile, recovering from his own horribly abusive father, only wants to continue making those paper birds he has so long been obsessed with as a way of staving off a continual state of debilitating anxiety. Not a cheerful scene, but Katya Balen alternates wit with flashes of poetic phrasing. And then into the mix comes a new baby born two months too early and with potentially life-ending health problems.

Yet this still remains a hopeful story, with Tom much to his surprise at last popular with fellow pupils in his new school while his mother and stepfather constantly come up with support rather than irritation at their children’s inability to get on. In return, both slowly grow to understand each other, working together on finishing a small boat which their father had left half-completed.  During this process they reach a level of therapeutic insight and self-discovery rarely found in those so young. But this also means that readers can follow their otherwise hidden thought processes with ease, while also possibly learning something useful themselves.

The repeated emphasis on how each child continues to struggle with the effects of past trauma does at times threaten to become somewhat wearisome, but Balen is a skillful writer, expert at mixing entertainment with strong plot developments.  Two brightly coloured loose sheets of origami paper are included, along with illustrated instructions on the inside and back covers showing readers how they can create their own paper cranes. Good luck with that!

Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on WhatsApp
  • Share on Pinterest
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share on Reddit
  • Share by Mail
http://booksforkeeps.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/bfklogo.png 0 0 Andrea Reece http://booksforkeeps.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/bfklogo.png Andrea Reece2022-05-20 08:00:382022-05-20 15:20:18The Light in Everything

Search for a specific review

Author Search

Search







Generic filters




Filter by Member Types


Book Author

Download BfK Issue Bfk 272 May 2025
Skip to an Issue:

About Us

Launched in 1980, we’ve reviewed hundreds of new children’s books each year and published articles on every aspect of writing for children.

Read More

Follow Us

Latest News

Margaret McDonald and her editors Alice Swan and Ama Badu win the 2025 Branford Boase Award

July 9, 2025

‘The magic of poetry by heart’ Champions of the 2025 National Poetry Speaking Competition Announced

July 8, 2025
IBC

New National Year of Reading launching January 2026

July 8, 2025

Contact Us

Books for Keeps,
30 Winton Avenue,
London,
N11 2AT

Telephone: 0780 789 3369

ISSN: 0143-909X (this is our International Standard Serial Number).

© Copyright 2025 - Books For Keeps | Proudly Built by Lemongrass Media - Web Design Buckinghamshire
Finding Jupiter The Smile
Scroll to top