Mini Review: The Color of the Sun by David Almond

The Color of the Sun by David Almond

Candlewick Press, 2019, 224 pages

I’ve always liked David Almond’s writing because of his unique way of looking at things. But as I read The Color of the Sun I felt like I was re-reading a story I already knew but didn’t remember clearly. Then it came to me - this is similar, perhaps too similar, to Joe Quinn’s Poltergeist. So it’s not that The Color of the Sun isn’t good, it’s absolutely David Almond excellent.

Almond sets young Davie off an an odyssey through his hometown of Tyneside on a hot summer day. As he wanders, Davie thinks about his father, who has recently passed away. While walking, he is told that a boy has been murdered, and Davie heads to the place the body was found. It turns out to be a boy Davie knows, who was also the town bully, part of a gang. Davie decides he knows who probably killed the boy, and heads to a nearby hill, believing the murderer also headed
 that way. As he goes, he meets a variety of different townspeople, a dog, the girl he may grow up to love, and the spirit of his father. As Davie explore questions about life and what it means, and if love can help you though hard times and heartbreak. Needless to say, by the time he returns home at the end of the day, Davie is a changed person.

Davie’s odyssey is a metaphor for trying to find his place in the world now that his dad is gone, making this a true coming of age tale as Davie tries to find his way back home.

This book is recommended for readers age 13+
This book was a eARC gratefully received from NetGalley