A Boy Called Hope by Lara Williamson

I’m Dan Hope and deep inside my head I keep a list of things I want to come true.

For example, I want my sister, Ninja Grace, to go to university at the North Pole and only come back once a year.

I want to help Sherlock Holmes solve his most daring mystery yet. And if it could be a zombie mystery, all the more exciting.

I want to be the first eleven-year-old to land on the moon.

I want my dog to stop eating the planets and throwing them up on the carpet.

And finally, the biggest dream of all, I want my dad to love me.

A Boy Called Hope is a brave, bold and funny debut about family in all its shapes and sizes.

Thoughts before you started reading A Boy Called Hope?
CHRISSI: I saw this book in Luna’s local bookshop Storytellers Inc, and was immediately drawn to it. It may have a simple cover, but I think it’s beautiful.

LUNA: Not that many if I’m honest, I’d seen it in a few bookshops but didn’t actually know that much about it.

What did you think of Dan Hope?
CHRISSI: I thought he was a young, endearing character.

LUNA: I thought Dan came across as young at the beginning of the book, I think that might have to do with the timing of when I’d read it. Having just finished another book with a female protagonist of the same age the differences were quite big.

Best bit?
CHRISSI: I loved reading about Dan’s naïve little moments. I felt for him during many times the book.

LUNA: The 999 call, oh that had me in stitches.

Worst bit?:
CHRISSI: I really expected to come emotionally invested in the story. I thought it was going to be a real tear jerker, but it didn’t move me as much as I expected to. It wasn’t badly written. I just didn’t feel as attached to it as I had anticipated.

LUNA: There wasn’t really anything that I didn’t like, though I wasn’t as emotionally involved in A Boy Called Hope as I expected. From Dan’s point of view I guess it would have been when his father didn’t acknowledgment at the TV studio. That was pretty awful.

Favourite character / moment?
CHRISSI: I thought Dan was a great, endearing character. His interactions with others were interesting to read.

LUNA: Dan’s friend Jo. Her fascination with all the saints might have been a little annoying for her friends but I thought it was cute. My favourite moment was the time Dan spent with Big Dave, especially the bit at the very end of the book.

Was A Boy Called Hope what you expected?
CHRISSI: I expected it to be more emotional!

LUNA: I didn’t have a lot of expectations beforehand, so yes.

Would you recommend it?
CHRISSI: Yes. It’s a sweet middle grade read, but it’s not earth-shattering.

LUNA: Yes.