Norcliffe, James: The Loblolly Boy.

†† NORCLIFFE, James The Loblolly Boy Longacre, 2009 224pp NZ$19.99 ISBN 9781877460258 SCIS 1415236

Escaping from trial and tribulation by literally flying away, at first feels wonderful and liberating. But once the reality of being invisible and virtually alone sinks in, the Loblolly Boy begins to understand the living death that it really is--unless he can persuade another to Exchange with him. Ethical dilemmas, varied landscapes, adventure, humour and family drama all form parts of this tapestry.

James Norcliffe has cheerfully and purposefully chosen to create his own definition of a phrase (Loblolly Boy) that took his fancy, and along with it, a new layer to our world; somehow reminiscent of The Water Babies' and Peter Pan. Perhaps this is because of the author's Victorian-like peppering of capital letters for emphasis. We come across the phenomenon of Exchanging, we side with the Newborn and Sensitives and we shudder at the multiple enemies: the Collectors (who want to keep loblolly boys in cages or tanks) and Researchers (who want to '... analyse you. Take you to pieces. Find out by process of dissection just how your system works ...'), not to mention the Trophy Hunters, Inquisitors, Invigilators or Investigators. This is a book for older children (and nostalgic children in grown-up bodies) who can persevere to enjoy an intriguing story which holds challenges and twists. SB

†† Book by a New Zealand author or illustrator