“This adventure is for all of us!” said Grandad. Us dreamers! Us people they say are mad and bonkers! This is our way of saying “We matter too.” This is our way of saying, “Don’t ever let go of your dreams.””
Do you love fairytales?
Seed by Caryl Lewiswate may have elements of stories that you recognise
A family with not much to their name
Troubled characters
A magic seed
And a giant pumpkin that carries the protagonists off
Toward their hopes and dreams
But Seed is not a fairy tale
It is magical and surreal
It is heartwarming and tenderly told
But as much as it is a wondrous adventure story
Fuelled by love, hopes and dreams
It is a tale of bullying, mental health and young carers
A tale of family, friendship and community
A tale of the healing power of nature
And while Seed does not have a happy ever after ending
It ends with love and hope
And with characters we have fallen in love with
In a much better position than they were when their story began
Seed is Marty’s story
A young boy who is bullied at school
At home he lives with his mum
His dad left when he was 4
His mum struggles with her mental health
She never leaves the house
And is a hoarder of things
Marty loves his mum
He is her carer
He worries about losing her
And about them both losing their home
Marty spends a lot of time with his Grandad
Who he adores
Grandad is a gorgeous character
A gloriously eccentric inventor
Who spends all his time on his allotment
Trying to make Marty’s hopes and dreams come true
Marty has one friend
A friendship that blooms and blossoms
As his story unfolds
Gracie is a beautiful character
She lives with her father
Who os often away or too busy with work to notice her
Gracie has a cochlear implant
And I loved learning about her and how she hears through vibrations
Gracie wants to be a dancer and the scenes of her dancing
By feeling the music are incredibly moving
The trio form a chosen family
They are always there for each other
Rooting for one another
Caring deeply for one another
And as they are so well written
Readers cannot help but care for them too
I was very sad to say goodbye to Marty, Gracie and Grandad
As their adventure came to an end
On Marty’s birthday
Grandad gives him a very special seed
Together they plant it and nurture it
And watch it grow
Grandad has grand plans for this seed
And some madcap methods of looking after it
As it grows bigger and bigger and bigger
As the plant grows
So too does the bond between our three main characters
And while in the background
Things are not so good for Gracie and Marty
Somehow the seed helps to soothe, support and inspire them
They begin to believe in the power of the plant
And in the power and potential of one another
As the plant blooms
Self confidence and belief blossoms
Hope grows
And families, friends and the whole community are drawn together
Because when life is hard
It helps to believe in dreams
And it is truly magical
When the ones you love have your back
And help those hopes, dreams and wishes come true
This beauty of a book has to be read to be believed
Bonkers inventions
Overcoming obstacle after obstacle
And while it does not have that fanciful fairytale ending
It offers a little hope for every reader
To take away and plant and nurture
And grow
I promise with all my heart
You will not want this fantastical adventure to end
I read the final third of this story
Through the biggest smile and a waterfall of tears
True middle grade magic
A must read
And with a very special teacher in a pivotal role
This book would be a brilliant and beautiful gift
To give a teacher at the end of the year