When Friendship Followed Me Home

When Friendship Followed Me Home by Paul Griffin (Text Publishing)

RRP $16.99

ISBN 978-192535549-9

Reviewed by Wendy Fitzgerald

Every now and then I read a book that I know I will not forget. When Friendship Followed Me Home is special.

Young Ben Coffin is a foster child. At age 10 he is adopted by a loving mum, Tess- a kind-hearted speech therapist. For the first time Ben feels loved and starts to hope that things will go well for him.

But at school he’s the target for a bully named Rayburn. Ben avoids Rayburn by taking refuge in the library with the kind librarian, Mrs Lorentz. It’s in the library that Ben befriends Mrs Lorentz’s daughter, Hayley (like the comet). And it’s in an alleyway beside the library where Ben finds a small abandoned dog he calls Flip.

Ben and Flip have a strong connection. They embark on a training program to make Flip into an assistance dog. Ben and Hayley start a fabulous reading program called ‘Read to Rufus’ where kids who struggle with reading can read to a trained companion dog- in this case Flip.

There is a beautiful scene on Page 131 where Ben is encouraging a young reluctant reader, Brian, to read to Flip. The interaction between Flip and Brian is precious. I think Flip is the real hero in this story.

I have not heard of a program like this in Australia. Maybe we should try it?

When Friendship Followed Me Home explores some tough issues- abandonment, domestic violence, homelessness, illness, grief, family, friendship, first love, acceptance, loss, pets, imagination and magic.

But all the way there is a wonderful innocence about Ben. In spite of all the terrible things that happen to him and Hayley- I was left with an overwhelming feeling of hope.

I also loved the idea that Ben and Hayley were writing a story together. It is called ‘The Magic Box’ - a time-slip story set in Luna Park in 1905. Often this story mirrors what’s happening in their lives and ties beautifully into the ending.

I like that there are many literary references throughout the book. In particular Griffin refers to ‘Feathers’ by Jacqueline Woodson. I want to read this ‘Feathers’ and I think kids would like to as well.

Paul Griffin is a talented writer. He is a teacher and a devoted helper of at risk and special needs teens. He works with organisations like ‘Behind the Book’ and ‘Literacy for Incarcerated teens’. 

Griffin is the author of several novels for YA – Ten Mile River, Stay with me, Burning Blue and Adrift. Paul lives in Manhattan.

When Friendship Follows Me Home - published in 2016 is Griffin’s first middle-grade novel. His next middle-grade novel, Marty comes out in 2017.

I strongly recommend When Friendship Follows Me Home to kids 11 and older. It will spark terrific discussion with parents and teachers. I loved it.

Burning Blue

Burning Blue by Paul Griffin (Text)

PB RRP $19.99 

ISBN 9781922079145

Reviewed by Nean McKenzie

At the centre of this young adult novel are two troubled teenagers, Jay and Nicole who meet at the office of the school counsellor. While the reasons for their troubles could be seen as depressing, the story about them is not, lifted by the element of mystery. Sometimes quite thrilling, with plenty of action, it's a book that deals with difficult issues in a readable way and even ends on a positive note.

Jay is fifteen and lives with his alcoholic dad. He hasn't been to school much since he began suffering from epileptic seizures and is keen to keep to himself. Nicole who is beautiful, rich and smart appeared to have everything going for her until she had acid thrown in her face by an unknown assailant. Jay is gradually drawn in to finding out who Nicole's attacker was. He employs his skills in computer hacking and technology to find out information, risking serious consequences. In the process he becomes more and more involved in Nicole's life.

The short chapters are from alternating points of view: Jay's and Nicole's. Many of Nicole's are in the form of diary entries or transcripts from counselling sessions. Jay's are mostly in first person and he is a clever and likeable character. He is at the same time vulnerable (he is still recovering from his mother's death) and tough (as a wrestler he is able to physically protect himself when needed).

There are suspects galore in this mystery and it is very close to the end where we find out the identity of the attacker. But even then, the mystery is still not quite solved, not until the conclusion.

There is a lot of realistic-sounding dialogue which flows well. The mystery unfolds gradually and the end is satisfying for these characters the reader has come to care about. Burning Blue is suitable for secondary school students, male or female.   

Stay with me

Stay with me by Paul Griffin (Text)

ISBN 9781921758713

PB RRP $19.95

Reviewed by Nean McKenzie

Stay with me is about Mack and Céce (pronounced chee-chee), two teenagers from an unnamed American town. Written with gritty realism, this is definitely a book for more mature young adults, preferably over fifteen. Themes include sex, violence (some quite extreme), alcoholism and juvenile detention. Things are not all grim however, as it is also a story about love, friendship and forgiveness.

The book is written in first person, alternating between the points of view of Mack and Céce. Mack has problems. When gets angry he loses control and can be violent. However when Mack is around dogs he is at his best. He especially loves pit bulls and is talented at training those who have been badly treated in the past. Cece does well at school but has problems of her own. Her mother drinks too much and her brother is going overseas with the army and she is worried he will get killed.

Mack and Céce meet and the attraction is instant. They tell each other all their secrets and are very happy. However the reader knows it will not last as there is a hint in the introduction that someone does 'something stupid'. The tension builds to a climax which, even though it is expected, is quite shocking. The rest of the story explores how the two characters manage to eventually go on from this.

The book covers one hundred and two days, from Mack and Cece's first meeting, to the resolution of their relationship. Chapters are headed, for example, 'the twenty-third day'. The voices of both characters are strong and realistic and this is the strength of the book. There is hope at the end that this very flawed main character will overcome his demons.

(Dog lovers will especially respond to the canine characters, but prepare for some sadness with one of them!)