SuitabookNorth of Nowhere
Liz Kessler
- Reading
- Read alongside the child if they enjoy suspense but become unsettled by disappearance or danger. Pause when the time shifts, track who knows what, and leave space afterwards to discuss the ending and any unresolved rules.
- Themes
- Family bonds under uncertainty: Mia’s grandfather disappears, bringing Mia and her mother to stay with her grandmother; the story follows family relationships amid uncertainty. Family connection is presented as important and emotionally meaningful, though the full resolution is unclear.
- Friendship across distance and time: Mia begins writing in Dee’s diary, and the two develop a friendship despite distance and difficulties meeting face to face. The book presents this favourably.
- Mystery and incomplete explanation: A boat and its compass move between times, while diary entries and multiple viewpoints gradually reveal complications. The unexplained mechanics appear to preserve mystery, but some readers may experience the time-travel logic and ending as confusing.
- Worth knowing
- Expect family separation and uncertainty around a missing grandfather, suspense involving dangerous circumstances, a storm-related threat, and Mia’s unsettling attraction to Peter, whose context and extent are unclear. The ending and time-travel rules are reported as abrupt or confusing.