Looking for a compelling, gentle narrative to grab middle readers?
Award winning Steven Herrick achieves that beautifully in Pookie Aleera, a story about every day children living in a country town.
Pookie Aleera had us from the very beginning.
What’s more, this is a very painless introduction to novels written in verse … this one is good.
Much of the narrative takes place in the classroom, with the new teacher Ms Arthur getting used to the characters in her class. Cameron is the source of much of the humour, although the scenes narrated by Constable Dawe will have you in stitches!
Herrick deftly uses first person narration, with each character having their own poems. The use of present tense gives an immediacy to the plot, and helps provide pace. Both of these techniques allow each character to emerge very quickly and vividly – from the kindly Mr Korsky, the misunderstood Mick, to the shy and lonely Laura.
Underlying Pookie Aleera are the themes of friendship, kindness and humour which are gently interwoven into the everyday situations that all children will relate to. You know the things – who to sit next to? Answering questions in class. The all important issues are treated with consideration and wonderful words.
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