Evie and the Animals by Matt Haig
“Many children love animals and eleven-year-old Evie is one such individual. For her though, that love also extends to those animals that many would find unlovable – such as snakes – and has led her to learn a huge number of facts through spending her time poring over books on a variety of creatures. As well as this passion, Evie has a much closer connection with animals – the Talent – which allows her to hear what animals are thinking and which her father is keen for her not to disclose to another living soul. After an incident at school where Evie frees a rabbit which has begged to be released after being taken from the wild by her Head Teacher, Evie’s father is called into school. Disappointed that the Talent has led her into trouble, he explains to her that her ability places her in great danger should it come to the attention of anyone who would abuse it and makes her promise to never use it again. Evie does her best to keep this promise until local pets start to disappear and she finds herself in a life-or-death situation where she feels she has no option but to act with her conscience and use the Talent. Once she has done so, she cannot go back and she starts to solve the mystery of the missing animals, placing herself and her family in mortal danger. Evie is a very likeable character, with a high moral code and the determination to do what she knows to be right. I am not a pet owner but within the story are several situations which made me think deeply about the way in which many owners treat their pets and are certain to make children think too. The book also touches on the debate regarding keeping wild animals in zoos in a very careful way so that younger readers are introduced to the argument and can make their own judgement accordingly. A great deal of PSHE work could be related to this book in school, with its themes of ‘doing the right thing’ and kindness running through the story. Increasingly, many children feel themselves put under peer pressure as they progress through primary school and Evie has the confidence to tell others that their pets are unhappy, leading at one point to the disintegration of a relationship with a friend. Towards the end of the book, Evie is told that: ‘Kindness is a boomerang. You throw it out and you get it back,’ which I thought was absolutely beautiful and will be stealing to use with my new class when they come back this week. I suspect that a great many of my new children will love this book. I’ve often said here that I don’t like ‘fluffy’ books – ones that are saccharine sweet – but although a gentle read, this does not fit into that category. I found it a very calming and comforting story, with a feel-good ending that many younger readers will really enjoy. Although I am again teaching Year 5 this year, many children in Years 3 and 4 would also enjoy this read – either alone or with an adult – and it would make a lovely class text either to stand alone or to accompany work on a rain forest or jungle theme.”