The Rooftop by Toby Hammerschleg
Published by Jo Jo Publishing
‘The Rooftop’ is a surprising story. The novel is set at an inner city school in Sydney where four children from diverse backgrounds learn about themselves and each other through the unusual combination of Scripture and netball.
I really liked the simple appealing design of the book's cover. It highlighted the setting and introduced the readers to the main characters. Upon reading the back cover blurb - which did the book little justice - I thought this story would hold very little interest for me. However, the author delves into issues of divorce, learning difficulties, and the topical subject of refugees facing the threat of deportation. This is done sensitively through the eyes of the four children. The character of Emma, the only one of the children not facing a personal dilemma, is used as an emotional foil to highlight the other children's problems.
Author Toby Hammerschlag has created a thoughtful book with a message for readers. The themes of friendship and freedom feature strongly throughout the story. The ending is quite unexpected and thought provoking but perhaps a little abrupt.
This is definitely an interesting and worthwhile book to read.
Reviewed by Jeffery E Doherty
CKT Book Reviewer
Author/ Illustrator: Toby Hammerschlag
Title: The Rooftop
Publisher: Jo Jo Publishing
ISBN: 9780994183873
Published: 2015
Age: 8-12
Published by Jo Jo Publishing
‘The Rooftop’ is a surprising story. The novel is set at an inner city school in Sydney where four children from diverse backgrounds learn about themselves and each other through the unusual combination of Scripture and netball.
I really liked the simple appealing design of the book's cover. It highlighted the setting and introduced the readers to the main characters. Upon reading the back cover blurb - which did the book little justice - I thought this story would hold very little interest for me. However, the author delves into issues of divorce, learning difficulties, and the topical subject of refugees facing the threat of deportation. This is done sensitively through the eyes of the four children. The character of Emma, the only one of the children not facing a personal dilemma, is used as an emotional foil to highlight the other children's problems.
Author Toby Hammerschlag has created a thoughtful book with a message for readers. The themes of friendship and freedom feature strongly throughout the story. The ending is quite unexpected and thought provoking but perhaps a little abrupt.
This is definitely an interesting and worthwhile book to read.
Reviewed by Jeffery E Doherty
CKT Book Reviewer
Author/ Illustrator: Toby Hammerschlag
Title: The Rooftop
Publisher: Jo Jo Publishing
ISBN: 9780994183873
Published: 2015
Age: 8-12
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