SuitabookSeed
Caryl Lewis
- Reading
- Consider reading alongside the child, pausing after difficult home or school scenes and before the daunting journey. Invite their view of the magical elements, then check what they think Marty and Gracie need from others.
- Themes
- Hope and imagination: Marty receives a mysterious seed, begins believing in dreams and joins his grandfather’s improbable plan to travel to France in a giant pumpkin. The book presents this favourably.
- Family strain and support: Marty copes with an unwell, compulsively hoarding mother and finds relief in spending time with his grandfather at an allotment. The book’s stance on this remains unclear.
- Friendship and difference: Marty befriends Gracie, who is deaf, lip-reads, has a cochlear implant and aspires to be a dancer. The book’s stance on this remains unclear.
- Worth knowing
- Pay attention to Marty’s home life, including his mother’s mental health struggles and hoarding, alongside bullying and the daunting attempt to travel in the giant pumpkin. The ending and overall handling of these issues remain unclear.