The Night Animals

The plotYear 5 student Nora Frost lives with her mum, Miri. Suffering from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Miri's life whilst off work is a series of good and bad days. Sadly they are mostly bad. Recovery, the doctors say, takes time. With Nora taking on a caring role, they get by. They are Fine. They DONT need any help and will get through it together, Miri says. And that is what 9-year-old Nora persuades herself and strives to achieve daily.Life is a series of notes on the front door for Nora when she comes home from school. If there is a note, it means she'll have to go elsewhere, stay with friends, or cook for herself. If there is life in the house, singing at breakfast, it means it's a good day. Nora craves those days as she and her mum get to do things together and go places. Though, there is the risk that crowds of people and noisy people will cause a relapse and send Miri into the deepest darkest of places.When one dark night, Nora awakes to a fox sitting on her, "the paws on my chest like two solid nothings", things change. Not least because this is not a majestic creature of the woods that has somehow found its way into her bedroom, but a ghost fox. Equally as beautiful, with shimmering colour edges, the fox stays only briefly, not answering any of the questions Nora asks.Awaking to a 'good' day, Nora tells her mum, who dismisses the fox as a dream. Of course, Nora knows better. Nora spots the fox at school going behind a tree on the grounds. Come break time, she searches for the fox but falls foul of Joel, the year bully. In the ensuing playground confusion, Nora escapes and heads to the tree. Whilst not finding the fox, she finds Kwame, another year 5 student hiding from Joel.Nora isn't in the mood for friends, or help, even if Kwame says they are the same and being bullied. But through circumstance (and Kwame's dogged persistence), they are drawn together, and a tentative friendship forms. It turns out Kwame frequently visits his granddad, who lives opposite Nora, to escape the bedlam in his own house caused by his four brothers.As the story progresses, Nora is visited by other ghost creatures, invisible to anyone else, each seemingly steering her towards something, somewhere. With Kwame in tow, the adventure grows, with a series of incidents that sometimes include Joel. But there are also very real and earthly dangers they face.Through all this, Nora battles to understand and keep a lid on her life and mum's problem. Which eventually, inevitably, spills out at school. Kwame also faces a family crisis of his own.As this story is about the journey, I would be remiss in giving more of the plot away. Suffice it to say, it picks up pace and excitement and culminates with a surprising revelation and some very real, exotic, and not-so-exotic creatures. I loved the ending, and I think you will too.So, what did we think?We really enjoyed watching how elegantly and persuasively the author allowed things to unravel for Nora whilst at the same time showing the dawning realisation that something had to change. For us, this story's central theme is coping and the importance of asking for help. PTSD is a genuine disorder and very debilitating. Its effects on those around the sufferer are oft' overlooked.Whilst this is a pretty sad story for its portrayal of illness and the truth of what families go through, it is also very uplifting. The characters surrounding Nora, both adult and child, demonstrate ably what Nora and her mother need but reject out of misgivings and pride.We know from experience it is not the case that there are so many people that can be bothered or willing to offer help for various situations outside of their comfort zone, especially if it is outwardly rejected. That isn't to say people should just dive in and make matters worse. There are ways to help. In this story, Miri and Nora had both been to the doctors, but Miri had tried to tame the beast within herself and in so doing, isolated Nora with her.The real message in this book, for those in need and those with the time, resilience and patience to be there to help, is very real and relevant. The story becomes a meeting of ways. Of talking, and of acceptance on all sides and to varying degrees. Which all goes to make this book work on every level, and age.The writer's style is pleasingly different, elegant and rewarding in its description. Not surprising when you realise Sarah is a writing tutor and mentor and works for Oxford University. She has also been long and short-listed for a few literary writing awards and nominated for the Carnegie Medal Award.So . . . . Crunch time. Such an important and warming story as this should be on every school librarian's and teacher's reading list. Like other books that deal with subjects that some have described as either 'not relevant' or 'awkward', like family death and grief, I recommend this for all parents and children.

I previously read another book by this author 'hunt for the nightingale' and adored it. It's one of the best books i've read and left me sobbing. But this book just didn't have even remotely the same effect on me. I almost felt it was written by a different author.the premise is good. A girl whose mother is suffering from PTSD, is struggling with life and interacting with other people. They always want to know how she is, and although things are definitely not fine, she is determined to try and make things normal, so tells everyone that everything is fine. However, sometimes her mother cant leave her room, cant cook or do anything much at all. Nora has withdrawn from her friends, in an effort to try and hide that things aren't really fine.then she starts seeing these ghostly animals with rainbow auras, and they seem to be trying to tell her or show her something.basically this is a story about accepting reality, finding true friends and understanding that it is OK to ask for help!Although I didn't really enjoy this story too much (at least in comparison to hunt for the nightingale), there was still a really good message to be had.the topic might be a bit hard for some kids, but equally, this book could be perfect for kids who are perhaps going through the same things, and it might give them hope and the strength to also ask for help. So from that point of view, I can't fault the message that it's putting across.

The Night Animals is a beautifully told, touching and hopeful story of family and friendship; of dealing with mental health issues; and, of finding the strength to ask for help.Nora’s mum has been signed off from her work as a paramedic due to having PTSD. She has good days and bad days and, on the worst days, stays in bed and leaves Nora notes telling her to stay with a friend. Nora has begun to see the shimmering ghost animals which used to visit her when she was younger. Could these animals help her find a path away from her loneliness and isolation? Could they hold the key to helping her find the courage and strength to ask for, and accept, the help she and her mother need? Could they take her back to her past and into a more hopeful future?Chasing a ghost fox across the school playground, Nora is pulled beneath the branches of a cherry tree by Kwame who is hiding from a bully. Kwame lives close to Nora and spends a lot of his time with his Grandad both to help him and to get away from his noisy, boisterous siblings. Nora tries to push Kwame’s friendship away, but he proves himself to be a kind-hearted, determined and supportive friend who can see that Nora needs help even when she can’t see this herself.Together, they find themselves on an incredible adventure on the trail of a ghost fox, hare, raven and otter, an adventure that opens a path for Nora to find the help her family needs.This is a heartfelt and beautifully told, empathetic story of finding the strength to face problems, of recognising when everything is not fine and having the courage to ask for and accept help from others. Highly recommended for readers of 9+.

Nora is learning to cope with grown up life because her mum is suffering from PTSD due to her job as a paramedic. Since dad left, Nora and her mum have been a team, but Nora is finding the responsibility increasingly hard to manage.When a series of magical animals start to appear to her, Nora begins an adventure that will enrich her world and teach her how to ask for the help she needs. This is a beautiful and moving book.