Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Review: Felix Finds Out! By Joan Slowey


Genre: Middle Grade

Description:

Felix Quirke is a shy, undersized ten-year-old boy, who lives with his Uncle Eddie in a small, dingy flat in an Irish seaside town. His biggest concern is what to wear to the Fancy Dress party at school before the Christmas holidays. However, Uncle Eddie has a bigger concern and asks for Felix’s help, which could prove dangerous. Quirky characters abound in this tale that takes a small boy out of his comfort zone.

Author:

Joan Slowey, an Irish writer, has lived in Dublin for most of her life but is from Co Down originally. She has been writing for many years and has published short stories, poems, and novels for children.”

Check out Ms. Slowey’s other books on her Amazon author page.

Appraisal:

Felix Finds Out is a charming but quirky story about a young, insecure boy who has to step out of his comfort zone. Because of unfortunate family circumstances, Felix Quirke is living with his uncle in a small village on the Irish coast. Felix is a clever boy and learns quickly that he needs a few friends to snoop around his school with him in order to help his uncle nail a small-time thief to save his job.

Being an introvert, Felix hasn’t sought to make friends at this new school. However, his choices turnout to be good ones. That is until a new girl arrives at the school who is self-confident, out-going, bossy, and tends to walk on the wild side. With Samantha, Felix meets his biggest personal challenge of all.

The plot is character-driven, slow-paced, but suspenseful. The characters are diverse, well-drawn, and believable. Since there is no real mystery of who the thief is, the story lacks a certain degree of oomph. However, Felix Finds Out is an inventive tale that explores many levels of friendship to help discern when and where to take a stand. It’s an enjoyable story as Felix finds confidence to feel more secure in himself.

Buy now from:    Amazon US    Amazon UK

FYI:

Ms. Slowey is an Irish author and uses British/Irish spelling conventions and slang, which may be challenging for younger readers.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant proofing issues.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 45-50,000 words

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