Perijee & Me by Ross Montgomery
The Blurb On The Back:
I pointed up. “That star is called Sirius. See?”
Perijee glowed, like a candle in a jar. He grew more fingers, tens of them, wrapping them round my hands and wriggling. “Home,” he said.
When Caitlin finds a tiny alien on the beach, she teaches him everything she knows. He’s like the brother she’s always wanted. There’s only one problem: Perijee won’t stop growing …
A stunning story about an unusual friendship, a heart-stopping adventure, and the power of kindness when faced with an alien invasion.
11-year-old Caitlin lives on a tiny island in the middle of nowhere with her mother (a former marine biologist) while her dad (a famous astro-biologist) goes on book tours around the world. Her only friend is Frank, but he’s a 42 year old man who her parents have hired to row her to and from her school on the mainland and he doesn’t actually seem too keen on being her friend. The kids in her class don’t like her and she can’t reveal to her parents that she’s not as smart as they are and gets terrible grades.
So when Caitlin finds a tiny alien after a terrible storm and meteor shower, she is absolutely delighted. Even though the alien is small, covered in strange symbols and is capable of growing extra limbs and doubling in size, she thinks it’s her chance to have the little brother she’s always wanted and decides to teach him everything she knows. The only problem is that Perijee won’t stop growing and when he gets angry or scared, all hell breaks loose …
Ross Montgomery’s standalone novel for children aged 9+ is an absolute gem - warm, witty and sharp in its observations about how human nature can match darkness with kindness. Caitlin is a delightful character, kind but lonely and terribly afraid of letting down her high achieving parents and she is mirrored in the wonderful Perijee who is similarly frightened and lonely and desperate to go home. Montgomery has a lot to say about selfishness, notably with regard to Caitlin’s father who is more concerned with his own career and his growing fame than in his wife and daughter but Caitlin’s mum is not immune to criticism in that regard either. There’s a lot of humour in the book - notably in the scenes between Caitlin and Frank (whose dialogue I loved) and there were several laugh out loud moments - but Montgomery doesn’t shy away from darkness either - the scenes where people behave in a cruel, destructive way are well observed and very believable and the Obsidian Blade cult combines absurdity with a nihilistic obsession that’s truly chilling. The illustrations are absolutely charming and I loved how the images used at the chapter headings are drawings made by children at the primary school where Montgomery teaches. In short, I absolutely loved this book and will definitely be checking out Montgomery’s other work.
The Verdict:
Ross Montgomery’s standalone novel for children aged 9+ is an absolute gem - warm, witty and sharp in its observations about how human nature can match darkness with kindness. Caitlin is a delightful character, kind but lonely and terribly afraid of letting down her high achieving parents and she is mirrored in the wonderful Perijee who is similarly frightened and lonely and desperate to go home. Montgomery has a lot to say about selfishness, notably with regard to Caitlin’s father who is more concerned with his own career and his growing fame than in his wife and daughter but Caitlin’s mum is not immune to criticism in that regard either. There’s a lot of humour in the book - notably in the scenes between Caitlin and Frank (whose dialogue I loved) and there were several laugh out loud moments - but Montgomery doesn’t shy away from darkness either - the scenes where people behave in a cruel, destructive way are well observed and very believable and the Obsidian Blade cult combines absurdity with a nihilistic obsession that’s truly chilling. The illustrations are absolutely charming and I loved how the images used at the chapter headings are drawings made by children at the primary school where Montgomery teaches. In short, I absolutely loved this book and will definitely be checking out Montgomery’s other work.
PERIJEE & ME was released in the United Kingdom on 3rd March 2016. Thanks to Faber & Faber for the review copy of this book.
I pointed up. “That star is called Sirius. See?”
Perijee glowed, like a candle in a jar. He grew more fingers, tens of them, wrapping them round my hands and wriggling. “Home,” he said.
When Caitlin finds a tiny alien on the beach, she teaches him everything she knows. He’s like the brother she’s always wanted. There’s only one problem: Perijee won’t stop growing …
A stunning story about an unusual friendship, a heart-stopping adventure, and the power of kindness when faced with an alien invasion.
11-year-old Caitlin lives on a tiny island in the middle of nowhere with her mother (a former marine biologist) while her dad (a famous astro-biologist) goes on book tours around the world. Her only friend is Frank, but he’s a 42 year old man who her parents have hired to row her to and from her school on the mainland and he doesn’t actually seem too keen on being her friend. The kids in her class don’t like her and she can’t reveal to her parents that she’s not as smart as they are and gets terrible grades.
So when Caitlin finds a tiny alien after a terrible storm and meteor shower, she is absolutely delighted. Even though the alien is small, covered in strange symbols and is capable of growing extra limbs and doubling in size, she thinks it’s her chance to have the little brother she’s always wanted and decides to teach him everything she knows. The only problem is that Perijee won’t stop growing and when he gets angry or scared, all hell breaks loose …
Ross Montgomery’s standalone novel for children aged 9+ is an absolute gem - warm, witty and sharp in its observations about how human nature can match darkness with kindness. Caitlin is a delightful character, kind but lonely and terribly afraid of letting down her high achieving parents and she is mirrored in the wonderful Perijee who is similarly frightened and lonely and desperate to go home. Montgomery has a lot to say about selfishness, notably with regard to Caitlin’s father who is more concerned with his own career and his growing fame than in his wife and daughter but Caitlin’s mum is not immune to criticism in that regard either. There’s a lot of humour in the book - notably in the scenes between Caitlin and Frank (whose dialogue I loved) and there were several laugh out loud moments - but Montgomery doesn’t shy away from darkness either - the scenes where people behave in a cruel, destructive way are well observed and very believable and the Obsidian Blade cult combines absurdity with a nihilistic obsession that’s truly chilling. The illustrations are absolutely charming and I loved how the images used at the chapter headings are drawings made by children at the primary school where Montgomery teaches. In short, I absolutely loved this book and will definitely be checking out Montgomery’s other work.
The Verdict:
Ross Montgomery’s standalone novel for children aged 9+ is an absolute gem - warm, witty and sharp in its observations about how human nature can match darkness with kindness. Caitlin is a delightful character, kind but lonely and terribly afraid of letting down her high achieving parents and she is mirrored in the wonderful Perijee who is similarly frightened and lonely and desperate to go home. Montgomery has a lot to say about selfishness, notably with regard to Caitlin’s father who is more concerned with his own career and his growing fame than in his wife and daughter but Caitlin’s mum is not immune to criticism in that regard either. There’s a lot of humour in the book - notably in the scenes between Caitlin and Frank (whose dialogue I loved) and there were several laugh out loud moments - but Montgomery doesn’t shy away from darkness either - the scenes where people behave in a cruel, destructive way are well observed and very believable and the Obsidian Blade cult combines absurdity with a nihilistic obsession that’s truly chilling. The illustrations are absolutely charming and I loved how the images used at the chapter headings are drawings made by children at the primary school where Montgomery teaches. In short, I absolutely loved this book and will definitely be checking out Montgomery’s other work.
PERIJEE & ME was released in the United Kingdom on 3rd March 2016. Thanks to Faber & Faber for the review copy of this book.