The Boy Who Lost His Spark - by Maggie O'Farrell

About the Book

"When Jem and his family first move to a small town, he struggles with his new life. The unhappier he grows, the stranger things become--mischief and chaos seem to bloom everywhere. His sister Verity is sure it is the work of a "nouka," an ancient creature that lives deep down inside the hill above the town--a creature forged from the sparks of a long-extinct volcano. Jem is adamant that there is no such thing. But it is through the magic and mayhem of this small mystical creature that Jem finally finds a sense of belonging, a sense of home--and once again discovers a spark of magic"--

Book Synopsis

The award-winning author of Hamnet rejoins the illustrator of Where Snow Angels Go for a mischievous tale of ancient magic and modern-day moodiness.

Someone here was sad but pretending not to be. . . . Someone--and this thought made a smile curl up on its face--needed some nouka-mischief.

When Jem and his family first move to a small town, he struggles with his new life. The unhappier he grows, the stranger things become--mischief and chaos seem to bloom everywhere. His sister Verity is sure it is the work of a "nouka," an ancient creature that lives deep down inside the hill above the town--a creature forged from the sparks of a long-extinct volcano. Jem is adamant that there is no such thing. But it is through the magic and mayhem of this small mystical creature that Jem finally finds a sense of belonging, a sense of home--and once again discovers a spark of magic.

Review Quotes

A lovely read-aloud for children ages 5-9.
--The Wall Street Journal

A wise and gentle tale about the necessity of mischief to distract us from ourselves.
--Kirkus Reviews

In the gentle fantasy story The Boy Who Lost His Spark, a boy made separate by his own self-awareness comes to joy with a little help from an otherworldly friend.
--Foreword Reviews

O'Farrell conjures the magic of a timeless fable in lyrical prose well suited to reading aloud to a single listener. Terrazzini's careful semi-realistic watercolor scenes, embellished with magical symbols, deepen the enchantment. The Gaelic legend, presented in poetry as well as musical notation, closes this gentle tale when mischief sparks a transformation from uncertainty to understanding.
--Booklist

About the Author

Maggie O'Farrell is an award-winning Irish-British author whose books for adults have received international acclaim, including Hamnet, which won the Fiction Prize at the 2020 National Book Critics Circle Awards. She is also the author of the picture book Where Snow Angels Go, illustrated by Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini. Maggie O'Farrell lives in Edinburgh.

Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini studied fine art in Milan and moved to London to study photography. She is the illustrator of Where Snow Angels Go by Maggie O'Farrell, The Night I Met Father Christmas by Ben Miller, and The Seeing Stick by Jane Yolen, among other picture books. She lives in London.