Books Reviews

Sylvie and the Songman – Book Review

By Angela Youngman Jul 15, 2010, 15:34 GMT

A compelling story full of magic and music.Sylvie Bartram lives alone with Mr. Jackson the dog and her eccentric composer father, who invents strange and wonderful musical instruments. One day she returns from school to find a message left in toothpaste on the bathroom mirror: her father has been kidnapped. Later that night, the house is visited by a terrifying apparition-a half-man, half-creature who is searching for something and will ...more

Imagine a world without bird song or any animal noises; where song has disappeared.  For Sylvie Bartram this is just what happened one day as she was about to have her summer holiday. 

Her dog lost his bark. The birds stopped singing, the fox on the bank became silent and her dad - a maker of unusual instruments has disappeared.  Determined to find him, Sylvie and her friend George set out on a quest which takes them into the nightmare world of the Songman where no one can sing or speak. 

Only Sophie can make the choices which will save or damm the world.  This is one of the most enchanting fantasies I have read for a long time.  It is innovative, a different angle on fantasy, with a compelling story line which keeps you reading. 

There is a wonderful cast of characters from the train loving fox, to the terrifying Woodpecker man in his swan powered balloon.  I loved it.