The Boy In The Suit
Is an incredible book
An almost but not quite unbelievable tale
Tenderly told
This is a moving story
Packed with power
Hard hitting contemporary reality
Which I found, at times, very hard to read
A compelling page turner of a book
With characters I was so invested in
I wanted to reach through the pages
And help them, hold them and tell them
That everything will be alright
This is book that has heart and humour
And a cast of characters that are new
Yet feel all too familiar
Solo and Morag could so easily be any of us
Sometimes life changes so quickly
It can feel impossible to face
To deal with
Things can spiral out of control
And we can lose our way
Morag’s mental health troubles
Fuelled by a broken marriage, unemployment and alcohol
Lead to a life beyond imagining for her and her son
As humans we are incredibly quick to judge
James Fox’s book is a loud and emotive warning to us all
Not to do that
A reminder that we are all vulnerable
We are all only human
And that we often do not know what is going on
Behind closed doors
This story shows the harsh truth of how
The cost of living crisis is impacting far too many families
Far too many children, like Solo
“Ten-year old Solo just wants to be normal.
He wants a name that doesn’t stand out.
He wishes he had a proper school uniform that fits him.
He dreams about a mum who doesn’t get the big bad reds.
But most of all he longs to stop crashing funerals for the free food.
But when Solo and Morag crash the funeral of a celebrity and get caught, the press are there to witness their humiliation. The next day it is splashed across the papers. Before Solo knows it, he becomes a viral sensation, and life may never be normal again.”
This story opens up discussions about so many parts of modern day life
Cost of living
Child poverty
Mental health
Young carers
The need for food banks
The negative impacts of social media
The importance of kindness
Solo and Morag’s story also shines a light on
The importance of teachers and teaching assistants
In making sure that children in need
Families in need
Do not slip through the many cracks in the system
This is a book written for older children
But that I think all adults should read
Especially those working in schools and
Any child centred, family focused roles
This is a story that has really affected me
And will stay with me for a long time
I am so glad that this story ends
With things beginning to look a little brighter
For Solo and his mum
This story of a boy who longs for a normal life
Who is torn between doing what is right
And being loyal to his mum
Truly does break your heart and mend it again
A brilliant and beautiful story
Showing the need for kindness always
The power of friendship
The courage needed to ask for and accept help
And the need to cling to hope
Because hope grows
And there is always a light
Even at the end of the longest and darkest tunnels
If it is possible to feel proud of a fictional character then
I am so so proud of you Solo x
