BLOG TOUR REVIEW!!! Norah’s Ark by Victoria Williamson

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?

I defy anyone, whatever age, not to be utterly charmed by Norah’s Ark, the latest children’s novel from Victoria Williamson. A beautifully written story about empathy and friendship, this is an emotionally complex read for mature middle-grade readers and younger teens.

Eleven-year-old Norah has been bouncing between temporary accommodation ever since her Dad lost his job. Norah loves her Dad, but she wishes he wouldn’t spend quite so much time in the local bookies, especially as their benefit money doesn’t put enough food on the table as it is. And she really wishes he’d stop telling her lies about her mum, who Norah has never known.

Eleven-year-old Adam, meanwhile, lives in a nice house with a big garden and a private tutor. Adam loves his parents but he wishes that his mum would stop treating him as if he was breakable and that his Dad would go back to spending time with him. Ever since he was diagnosed with leukaemia, he’s had to give up all the things he enjoyed and now he’s stuck in the house with no friends and no chance of ever becoming the champion swimmer he dreams of being.

When Adam and Norah bond over a nest of orphaned baby birds, it’s the start of an unlikely but mutually-fulfilling friendship. As the two children learn more about each other’s very different lives, they start to see the world and its possibilities from new perspectives and begin to work together to try and change their lives – and the lives of those around them – for the better.

Those expecting a novel for younger readers to be light may be surprised by the emotional depth of Norah’s Ark. The novel does not shy away from depicting the harsh realities of poverty and homelessness, or the emotional fallibility that can exist within even the most loving of families. Neither Norah nor Adam’s parents are perfect but, as the novel progresses, we come to understand that they are trying their best even if the outcome of those efforts isn’t always what their children want or need. The novel also examines the challenges of being caught up within ‘the system’ and sympathetically examines the fears that go hand in hand with the thought of seeking outside support.

Victoria Williamson does a really excellent job of getting into the heads of her child protagonist’s, showing us their hopes, fears, and dreams. Both Adam and Norah are, in their own ways, dealing with far more than children should have to but, as Williamson deftly shows, neither of their situations are in any way fantastical. Readers should be aware of content warnings for themes/mentions of homelessness, poverty, addiction, death of a parent, estrangement, bullying, and cancer. There are, sadly, plenty of Norah’s and Adam’s in the world and I imagine that readers of a similar age will find it very easy to empathise with both children, whilst older readers will empathise equally well with the challenges faced by their respective parents.

If this all sounds a little heavy, Norah’s Ark is also a heart-warming novel, with some genuinely beautiful moments of connection between the two protagonists. Much of their friendship centres around the rescuing of various animals so animal lovers of all ages are sure to enjoy that aspect of the novel! There’s also genuine hope and joy within the novel’s ending although, as an adult reader, I did find some elements of the ending a little too neat and tidy which was something of a shame given the nuance and complexity of the rest of the book.

Overall, however, Norah’s Ark is a beautifully written and sensitively rendered exploration of some complex topics. With empathetic and sympathetic characters, a heart-warming storyline, and a hopeful ending, it is a well-crafted – if, at times, emotionally challenging – read for mature tweens and teens, as well as for adult readers seeking a sensitive and compelling read.

Norah’s Ark by Victoria Williamson is published by Neem Tree Press and is available now from all good booksellers and online retailers including Hive, Bookshop.org, Waterstones, and Wordery.

If you can, please support a local indie bookshop by ordering from them either in person or online! Some of my favourites include Booka Bookshop, Sam Read Booksellers, Book-ish, Scarthin Books, Fox Lane Books, and Berts Books. 

My thanks go to the publisher for providing a copy of the book in return for an honest and unbiased feature and The Write Reads for organising and inviting me onto this blog tour. The tour continues until 01 September 2023 so please do check out the other stops for more reviews and content!

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