Firmament

Publishers Weekly

Bowler (River Boy) experiments with fascinating ideas about the power of music, but his novel takes too long to unfold, and ultimately becomes overly complicated. Luke, a musical genius with the ability to hear sounds as small as "the feather-touch" of cat paws in the garden, joins a gang of bad boys after the death of his father, a concert pianist. When Skin, the group's leader, forces Luke to break into the home of Mrs. Little, Luke discovers "the ugly old woman" isn't living alone, but is secretly raising a deeply disturbed girl, Natalie (who is not only traumatized, but blind and mentally challenged as well). Luke begins hearing Natalie crying and also a childlike melody, even when he's far from her house. But as he gets involved in her life, he begins to unravel a shocking mystery about her and the woman she calls Nana. Music plays an important-and intriguing-role in the novel; not only does Luke play the piano to calm Natalie, but they both experience wonders such as hearing the trees singing, or seeing images formed by the sound of notes. The English village setting, its forest and the quirky characters (such as Luke's eccentric-but-wise music teacher) lend the novel a fairytale quality, where mystery feels possible. Unfortunately, too much plotting leaves little room for exploring the characters' complex relationships, causing their bonds with one another (and Mrs. Little's dramatic transformation) to seem disingenuous. Ages 12-up. (Apr.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature

Fourteen-year-old Luke Stanton lives in a world consumed by fear and anger. He fears his gang, his prodigious talent at the piano, and his unearthly ability to hear sounds that seep from the ether. He rages against his Mum's new boyfriend and school, and resists practicing the piano, the one instrument that might provide some healing. When Luke is forced by his gang to break into an elderly woman's house in the hope of stealing a valuable box, he finds a mystery that will alter his life forever. Luke makes choices that place him in grave danger from his gang, yet he refuses to confide in his mother or his new girlfriend, Miranda. Violence and tension escalate as Luke confronts his own desire to live, survive and to listen to the music in his head. Carnegie Medal winner Bowler paints a portrait of a very complete world filled with supernatural drama and realistic teen violence. The climax of the novel is especially thrilling, and filled with heart-felt emotion. While the new-age supernatural elements tend to be heavy-handed and Luke's reasons for joining the gang have been left unexplored, young readers will no doubt eagerly read this suspenseful book. 2004, Margaret K. McElderry Books/Simon & Schuster, Ages 12 up.
—Hillary Homzie

KLIATT

When we first meet Luke, age 14, he's about to break into a woman's house, egged on—indeed, threatened—by a nasty gang of boys. But he keeps hearing a girl weeping, and in the house he discovers the terrified child and can't bring himself to steal anything. When he tries to break into the woman's house again, she confronts him, and insists that he help the frightened girl, who is not only blind but also mentally challenged, by returning to play music for her. Like his father, who died two years ago, Luke is a gifted pianist, and he hears things no one else can: the strum of nature, snatches of music, and voices; and he often feels the presence of his father. His mother has started a relationship with a new man, but Luke, still mourning his father, greatly resents this. He continues to play for the child, and comes to realize that she doesn't belong to the woman; he helps to return her to her parents. His refusal to go along with the gang results in a nearly fatal attack, but his mother's boyfriend comes to his rescue, and in the end Luke's music brings about healing for himself and for others. As in the works of his fellow British author, David Almond, poetic language and the supernatural play an important role in Bowler's novels, such as River Boy and Storm Catchers, and are very much in evidence in Firmament. The theme of grieving and healing is dealt with sensitively, and there is plenty of drama in the telling. An unusual and poignant coming-of-age tale. KLIATT Codes: J—Recommended for junior high school students. 2004, Simon & Schuster, McElderry Books, 320p., Ages 12 to 15.
—Paula Rohrlick

VOYA

Luke is a sensitive young man who has a prodigious talent as a pianist and musician, but the death of his father has left him alienated and confused. He has unresolved feelings of anger and abandonment, particularly because his mother has begun a serious friendship with another man. Luke falls in with a gang of toughs who induce him to help them rob an elderly neighbor. Luke sneaks into the house to "case" it and discovers that the old woman has a hidden guest, a young girl who seems possessed by a violent fear of everything around her. Caught trespassing in the house, Luke is forced into a bargain with his elderly neighbor. She will not call the police if he agrees to come play piano for her granddaughter, as only Luke's music seems to soothe her fears. Luke is caught between his desire to help the young girl and his need to placate his new friends, who demand that he continue to help them with their plot to rob the neighbor. Bowler, the author of Carnegie Award-winner River Boy (Simon & Schuster, 2000/VOYA August 2000) and the more recent Storm Catchers (2003/VOYA August 2003), has a well-deserved reputation for being a master of the literary young adult novel. But his latest book, although full of wonderfully drawn characters and a suspenseful plot, falls prey to the lure of the sentimental ending. Nevertheless he writes with great sensitivity and skill about the themes of death and grieving. This book would be a good recommendation for teens who have suffered the loss of a loved one. VOYA Codes: 4Q 3P M J (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Will appeal with pushing; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2004, Simon &Schuster, 320p., Ages 11 to 15.
—Jan Chapman

School Library Journal

Gr 6-10-Luke, 14, is in big trouble. "Skin," a teen with a well-earned reputation for violence, has threatened to seriously hurt him if Luke refuses to break into an old woman's house and steal a beautiful wooden box sure to contain valuables. Luke is trapped, and once inside the house, he's startled by the devastating weeping of a young girl. Worse, Skin isn't Luke's only problem. He's still grieving so hard over his father's death that he can't concentrate and is nearly flunking out of school. He skips classes; fights with his mother, who has a new boyfriend; and is rude and surly to everyone, even his beloved music teacher. Luke feels that the only thing he has left is his music, his gift for playing the piano, just like his father. Firmament is a fascinating coming-of-age story with deeply developed characters. The author's understanding of the way a musician separates notes in his head and the ability to translate them into a dialogue between his hands and his instrument is amazing. However, one disturbing scenario might hit readers hard, especially given recent news stories of abducted children. Once Luke discovers that the mentally retarded child had been found and hidden away by the old woman for two years, he reunites her with her parents but does not notify authorities. Overall, though, the author's lyrical writing will enthrall readers and draw them into a heartfelt story that resonates just like great music. Pair Firmament with Bruce Brooks's Midnight Hour Encores (HarperCollins, 1986) during booktalks. Both titles will be eagerly snatched up and loved.-Susan Riley, Mount Kisco Public Library, NY Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

A gripping page-turner of immense and surprising beauty. Fourteen-year-old Luke has been in a bad state for two years, since "Dad died and the light of his existence went out." He's bitter and angry, in trouble at school, and under the thumb of a gang. Their pressure to break into an old woman's house leads Luke to discover Natalie, a hidden ten-year-old girl with a mental age of four. Natalie sobs and screams all night long; Luke hears it even from afar. He also hears "the sounds of fields and hills and hedgerows" and other sounds "that seemed to well up from deep inside him: a buzzing sound, a harp sound, a bell sound, and, all around his head, a sound of rushing water." Like Dad, Luke's a musical genius with a "deep ocean roar rolling inside him and around him." He needs to save Natalie; he needs to escape the murderous gang; and he needs to make friends with the sounds inside him. Mystical, desperate, and deeply affective. (Fiction. YA)