SuitabookThe Whatnot
Stefan Bachmann
- Reading
- Pause to map the faerie world and the characters’ changing goals. If the setting begins to overshadow the people, discuss which character’s experience feels clearest and why.
- Themes
- Separation and persistence: Bartholomew searches for Hettie after she has been lost in the Old Country, while Hettie and Pikey also face difficult circumstances. The book?s stance on this remains unclear.
- Power and threat: Lord Lickerish and the Sly King are connected with attempts to use faerie power, while the protagonists try to protect England. The conflict sets powerful figures against young protagonists, but it is not clear how the narrative ultimately evaluates authority, resistance or the threatened invasion.
- Worth knowing
- Consider whether the dark faerie atmosphere and threatened invasion suit your reader, and whether they enjoy complex settings even when character development and the ending may move unevenly.