A FLASH OF FIREFLIES

I have enjoyed all of Aisha's books this is one my favourites. It deals with issues that plague many people young and old and I feel it gives an insight I never had before. I myself suffer from OCD.I found that I didn't want this book to end when I was finished and I look forward to her next book.

"I know now that the fireflies mean what they say, and if I don't complete their quest my deepest, darkest fear will come true."This is perhaps quite a timely novel for younger people, as it deals with mental health. Hazel, a 12 year-old, is moving to England from Kuwait. Before her parents are able to join her, she is going to stay with her great-aunt. Hazel is understandably unsure about this change, and so she has to battle with her feelings and her fears. There is a lot to get used to; a new school, trying to make new friends, a relative that she doesn't really know but has to share a house with, as well as a new country. But she also has to deal with the visits from the fireflies, which seem to make her complete a task, or quest, before they let her go.This short novel handles the subject of mental health quite well. At first, you possibly won't understand what is going on, or just what the fireflies represent. But Hazel's feelings, and thoughts, are handled well by Bushby.Aside from the element of mental health, I also loved the inclusion of fairy tales. Hazel studies the themes, characters and tropes of fairy tales during her time at summer school, and I think this was an interesting way to bring life to the anxieties that she was going through.A quick, easy read. I would recommend it to others.

I gave this book to my daughter who is turning 9 in a few days. She loves fairies and fantasy style stories, as well as animal based stories so I thought this could be a good read for her.I had her read some of it out loud to me as part of her reading for school home work (so I can check she is reading all the words correctly and understands the story - comprehension/inference/etc.)I would say that is was a little too dark at the beginning for a nine year old, hence my recommendation of 11+ as I think she would have enjoyed and understood the storyline better at a slightly older age than 9.I got her to write up a review:"My favourite part in the book is when Hazel is at summer school and the fireflies come in and they take her into a secret world and she can't leave until she has done their tasks.I would recommend this book if you like mystery and adventure and a bit of scariness.I wouldn't recommend this book you don't like fairy tales and dark things."

A novel for younger readers. It is a stand alone book. Not part of a series or a trilogy, and it does tell a story in one single volume. Which is only two hundred and nineteen pages long.There are thirty seven chapters. In between a prologue and an epilogue.This is what the grown ups would call magical realism. In that it is real world set. But with fantasy elements.It's the story of Hazel. Who narrates in the first person. She's moving from Kuwait to Britain for family reasons. To live with an older relative there. She goes to summer school. Gets used to her new life and location. And makes a good friend.But she has an issue. The fireflies. They come. They make demands of her. She must go into their world to complete them. Is this something she can ever break free from?The magical realism side of this tries to be like fairy tales. But the darker kind that you find in the original texts of said stories, not the sanitised movie versions.So...I would say recommended reading age would be ten and up. And although it's a short book, it's a bit of an advanced level read.Nevertheless, it is a pretty decent one. It does balance the real world Hazel faces with the fantastical quite nicely. Although the former scenes are a bit more vivid than the latter. Maybe because they are in a more easily realised world. Her best friend is a very solid character with a good energy who does command your attention. It is also quite a compelling read, as it does leave you wanting to know what will happen to Hazel.The end of this is really good. Because there's been a clever use of metaphor here. When you read the writer's note at the end, you see what they've done. It was a very good way of storytelling. Doing that first and foremost without letting anything else get in the way.So this is not the easiest of books, but it is worth getting into and giving it a go. If you're ten. Or older.

The first thing I want to say about this book is that, while I think it's great, I do think parents/ guardians should be careful about giving it to younger children. It's marketed for age 9 and this seems young to me to be reading it without any adult input. I think it is likely to scare some children and also it brings up a lot of issues, so it might be a good book to read together with your child, or to read first before sharing it with them, so that there can be discussions.The story is about a 12 year old girl called Hazel, who goes to live with her great aunt in England for the summer while her parents sell their house in Kuwait. The stress of the changes causes Hazel to be visited by some old "friends" that she thought she was rid of - a trio of fireflies who draw her into a magical forest and force her to complete tasks. The fireflies and the forest are really creepy, and it's painful to watch Hazel going through these hallucinations without being able to talk to anyone about it.The book is an excellent way of talking about mental health issues, anxiety and OCD in a way that children may be able to identify with, though I sometimes found it a bit confusing. It has a happy ending, and there are lovely parts all the way through, such as Hazel's new friendship with Ruby, but it definitely is an eerie and sometimes upsetting read.