After reading this book I immediately knew I had to pass it on to my nephew, it was just that good!
The Toymaker’s Son follows a young boy as he deals with the loss of his mother and, in some regard, his father. A terrible situation with hope weaved in, Jean Mills, a fellow Canadian author, beautifully tells a story of loss and love but in a way boys will well.. love! It’s the love of hockey that underlines a lot of this story but can be easily interpreted to be family instead of a team.
For reluctant boy readers this book is a perfect blend of sports, school life and growing up so will be a very enjoyable thus easy read for them. It also touches a bit on the environmental side of the reader as a side story.
Linden Flanders is the main character of this story and he is a shy and awkward kid finding himself through his love of hockey while he rediscovers who his family is without his mom. He faces every day challenges of a grieving father, growing up too fast and an older sister who speaks loudly enough for him and his father. Ardith, his sister, seems to be everything he isn’t and have everything he wants but he may discover she’s not as collected as she appears to be.
This is Jean Mills second book but it’s put together with the expertise of an accomplished writer. As an adult I still thoroughly enjoyed this book as it let me reflect on my childhood
I highly recommend this book for any boy or girl, reluctant reader or lover of books.
Thank you for reading,
Sarah Butland