Review Detail

In this modern legend with roots in age old fairy tales, Jem is upset when his family moves from the city to a small town. Maybe he misses his friends or all of the bright lights - whatever it is, he doesn't want to talk about it, and his feelings come out as constant moodiness. He's in no mood to humor local legends of a mischief-making critter known as the Nouka, but maybe a string of unexplainable little mischiefs is just what Jem needs to recognize the unique spark of joy that will help him fall in love with his new life.

Much like the new town, this book builds quiet and slow. We get to see ordinary life in the school (Jem is dyslexic and much prefers to draw) and at home (Jem and his sister traverse grassy hills to get to school and find much of their amusement outdoors). Jem rarely outright explains what he is feeling, and they way he learns to process his troubles without being able to articulate it rings very true to the adolescent, and even adult, experience. There may not be magic noukas under every hill, but the quiet encouragement Jem receives from his mother is a poignant real world example of how to support someone with love when they are feeling lost.

This is a long picture book, with about a hundred pages and a good amount of words amongst the water color esque illustrations. Some characters are strict, but not mean, and the nouka is adorable. Expect the magic and action to come in small bursts - it may seem slow, but it comes together beautifully in the end. When picking this book for story time, plan to settle in for a good while, or read across several nights.