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A Small Free Kiss in the Dark
Two young boys, an old tramp, a beautiful teenage dancer, and the girl's baby--ragtag survivors of a sudden war--form a fragile family, hiding out in the ruins of an amusement park. As they scavenge for good, diapers, and baby formula, they must stay out of sight of vicious gangs and lawless soldiers. At first they rely on Billy, the only adult in the group. But as civil life deteriorates, Billy starts to fall apart. Skip, who is barely into his teens, must take over and lead them on a search for sanctuary. This complex and haunting exploration of life on the edge and what it takes to triumph over adversity is a story about the indomitable nature of hope.
240 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2009
25 people are currently reading
630 people want to read
About the author
Glenda Millard
36 books96 followersGlenda Millard was born in the Goldfields region of Central Victoria and has lived in the area all her life. The communities she has lived in and the surrounding landscapes have provided a rich source of inspiration and settings for many of her stories.
It was not until Glenda's four children became teenagers that she began to write in her spare time. She is now a full-time writer.
Apart from writing, some of Glenda's favorite things are Jack Russell Terriers, hot-air ballooning, making and eating bread and pizza in the wood-fired oven that her husband built in the back yard, and reading books which either make her laugh or cry.
Glenda has published six picture books, three junior fiction titles, short stories and two young adult titles. 'The Naming of Tishkin Silk' was shortlisted in the CBCA Book of the Year Awards and for the NSW Premier's Literary Awards.
It was not until Glenda's four children became teenagers that she began to write in her spare time. She is now a full-time writer.
Apart from writing, some of Glenda's favorite things are Jack Russell Terriers, hot-air ballooning, making and eating bread and pizza in the wood-fired oven that her husband built in the back yard, and reading books which either make her laugh or cry.
Glenda has published six picture books, three junior fiction titles, short stories and two young adult titles. 'The Naming of Tishkin Silk' was shortlisted in the CBCA Book of the Year Awards and for the NSW Premier's Literary Awards.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 97 reviews
July 8, 2018
This was a really interesting book; I enjoyed it as I was reading it, I thought about it before and after reading it and I had to mentally digest it -as it were- for a while before reviewing it.
Thoughtful, interesting, thought provoking - all the good things.
Skip is his running away name, as we are told from the beginning; and the beginning of the story is explaining how he planned to escape to the streets from his foster home, how he accomplishes that and his early time living as a clueless street kid. Among other things he meets Billy, who helps him acclimatise in his own, gruff unhelpful way.
At this point, having established the scene and the players, the main event starts. This is a wartime scenario in which bombs wreck buildings and kill people, soldiers and tanks are present. We, the readers, never know who, where or how all this came about or what is happening. Because our narrator Skip does not know these things, nor does he care. Skip is very young, not broadly educated or very perceptive and the whole story is his point of view. In many ways, this works because not knowing the wider picture lets us focus entirely on Skip's story. We follow his postapocalyptic journey, unthinking and unwondering as he himself does.
Location wise - we never really know where we are, intimations of London or random English town are there, the luna park feels like the St Kilda one in Melbourne, the train tunnels and hours of walking feel like Sydney in New South Wales.... It could be anywhere, I think that is the point and it actually comes off very well indeed.
Skip's main feature is his ability to draw, with chalks amazingly. This part of the narrative featured strongly in the beginning of the story and then petered out a fair bit, I was sorry about that because I found it quite charming and would have liked to see more of it.
The small free kiss in the dark that is the signature title - I will not talk about that at all, the latter part of the book should be read, not discussed I think. It is fascinating in many ways, though it also leaves you hanging in a bit of a fog as we are seeing it through Skip, who is not the sharpest tool in the shed.
My main annoyance with this book, to be honest, is the classification which is given as YA. This is not a 'young' adult story, or pre-adult story, or teenager story: whatever the current PC classifications might be. This is a kids book pure and simple, you can tell, because the writing is basic - very well done, nice to read, well edited- but still, basic. You can tell, because Skip is a child not an adolescent, a child. He even refers to himself during the story as a 'small boy' a thing no YA would do. My nephew, by the time he was eleven, would far, far rather have eaten his own toenails than called himself a 'small boy' even in the privacy of his own head.
So, and no blame to the author or the book, I experienced a discrepancy while reading. It is a great kids book and I would recommend it as such to anyone looking for well written, intriguing, stories of this type.
Thoughtful, interesting, thought provoking - all the good things.
Skip is his running away name, as we are told from the beginning; and the beginning of the story is explaining how he planned to escape to the streets from his foster home, how he accomplishes that and his early time living as a clueless street kid. Among other things he meets Billy, who helps him acclimatise in his own, gruff unhelpful way.
At this point, having established the scene and the players, the main event starts. This is a wartime scenario in which bombs wreck buildings and kill people, soldiers and tanks are present. We, the readers, never know who, where or how all this came about or what is happening. Because our narrator Skip does not know these things, nor does he care. Skip is very young, not broadly educated or very perceptive and the whole story is his point of view. In many ways, this works because not knowing the wider picture lets us focus entirely on Skip's story. We follow his postapocalyptic journey, unthinking and unwondering as he himself does.
Location wise - we never really know where we are, intimations of London or random English town are there, the luna park feels like the St Kilda one in Melbourne, the train tunnels and hours of walking feel like Sydney in New South Wales.... It could be anywhere, I think that is the point and it actually comes off very well indeed.
Skip's main feature is his ability to draw, with chalks amazingly. This part of the narrative featured strongly in the beginning of the story and then petered out a fair bit, I was sorry about that because I found it quite charming and would have liked to see more of it.
The small free kiss in the dark that is the signature title - I will not talk about that at all, the latter part of the book should be read, not discussed I think. It is fascinating in many ways, though it also leaves you hanging in a bit of a fog as we are seeing it through Skip, who is not the sharpest tool in the shed.
My main annoyance with this book, to be honest, is the classification which is given as YA. This is not a 'young' adult story, or pre-adult story, or teenager story: whatever the current PC classifications might be. This is a kids book pure and simple, you can tell, because the writing is basic - very well done, nice to read, well edited- but still, basic. You can tell, because Skip is a child not an adolescent, a child. He even refers to himself during the story as a 'small boy' a thing no YA would do. My nephew, by the time he was eleven, would far, far rather have eaten his own toenails than called himself a 'small boy' even in the privacy of his own head.
So, and no blame to the author or the book, I experienced a discrepancy while reading. It is a great kids book and I would recommend it as such to anyone looking for well written, intriguing, stories of this type.
February 4, 2017
Wonderful. Millard does a fantastic job of capturing Skip's voice, an observant, artistic twelve year old who's survived abuse and abandonment. It's an interesting choice to leave the nature of the war entirely vague, but it also makes a certain sense (Skip is twelve, and doesn't really care what the war is about) and it gives the book a timeless quality. A reader ten years from now can plug in whatever the current international boogeyman is when they read, though of course the face of the enemy is unimportant here. It's far more about the survival of the people caught in the crosshairs, the third side in this unnamed war.
January 4, 2015
A homeless runaway and a war setting give rise to beautifully descriptive writing. The city is bombed and Skip, Billy, Max, Tia and her baby form an unlikely family to survive. Narrated by Skip, the story is well-structured, the characters layered, and the perspective is hopeful. An amazing study of survival, loss and living, A Small Free Kiss in the Dark is a book worth reading for its lyrical descriptions and engaging characters.
July 28, 2015
I read this a couple of years ago and remember it absolutely blowing my mind. The more of the book I try to remember the more I CRAVE rereading it. Beautifully artistic writing and really great characters. NEED to get my hands on it again.
Read
August 5, 2011How come this is isn't on my list? I read it in Feb this year. A strong, emotional intense piece of writing. Big contender.
Read
November 25, 2015Chp 1 pg 1-11
In this chapter Skip runs away from home by catching a train to the city. He meets homeless people drawing and sits with them. Skip expresses how he has trouble in social situations and with friends and currently lives with a foster family that he has troubles with. He also had troubles with his Dad. It is unclear whether his Mum is dead or ran away when he was very young. Our group has a bit of confusion on this topic and discussed it.
"I hope my new life would be better than the one I left behind." Page 1.
"Sometimes I made up reasons to myself why I had no friends." Page 2. What are some of these reasons? Why does he make them up? How does the author choose to express this and how effective is it?
"pretend family." Page 4.
"She said that Mrs Ransome was probably only trying to help me move on when she tried to burn Dad's coat." Page 5. Do you agree with Mrs Ransome's conclusion?
"Not all homes are happy, the grey whispered like a ghost." Page 6. Why does Skip feel this way? Do you have any personal connections to this quote?
"The weirdest thing was that no one told the people drawing to scram, and no one spat on their pictures or peed on them." Page 7. Is this a true reflection of how homeless people are treated? Did you find this confronting?
Chapter 2 p. 11-22
Skip is living on the streets under the guidance of an old man, Billy. He shows his artistic skills by drawing seagulls on the pavement.
pg. 11 "I saw Billy looking at the bruises on my arms." Are these bruises from abuse? Is this the reason why he ran away?
pg.12 "I was waiting for him to tell me to get lost but he didn't." Skip is used to being treated badly.
pg.12 "...and that bird got inside me again, flapping and flapping against my rib cage." I like this metaphor.
pg. 16 "Running away was easy; not knowing what to do next was the hard part." He is starting to see the consequences of his actions. He planned how he was going to run away but never planned what he would do after - naive.
Billy has become important to him. Skip follows him around and sees him as a navigator to this new and unknown world.
pg. 18 "It wasn't as if I was the reason he'd left." Skip secretly hopes he is the reason Billy left the shelter, shows how young he is and how he has attached himself to Billy.
pg. 19 "He never called me 'kid' anymore." Skip is starting to gain respect in the eyes of Billy as he is no longer seen as a little kid.
Chp 3 pg 22-33
In this chapter the reader is introduced to a new character called Michaela, who works at the library that Billy and Skip visit. At the library Skip looks at artworks.
pg. 23 "Michaela was beautiful... Her hair was cut short and spiked like boys' hair." This is Skip's descrpiton of Michaela. I like how although he is describing her as beautiful she is not depicted as the typical female character with long hair and a really feminine appearance.
pg. 24 "Most people don't look at you when you're in a soup queue; not really look." This is a reflection of how we see homeless people. I know personally sometimes when I see homeless people on the street I try to not look at them or deal with the issue. This is definitely confronting.
Chapter 4
I found this chapter slightly confusing trying to follow what was going on. When Skip wakes up he is confronted to loud noises, alarms and people screaming. It seems he is in some sort of war. Perhaps the author intended to make this chapter slightly confusing as a war must feel to everyone in it. Skip searches for Billy who he finds asleep. He thinks Billy is dead when actually it is Bradley Clark - a member of the shelter.
pg. 34 & 36 repetition of phrase, "huge, stained-glass window." Referring to a church window.
pg. 41 "Then the man's arms went around me and I knew he wasn't a ghost and I knew I wasn't damaged like my dad." Further insight into what was wrong with Skip's Dad. Also is interesting how Skip refers to his Dad as 'damaged.'
Chapter 5
pg. 42 "I heard that .... human friends." Skip has a pure, simple kindness and maturity about him. He doesn't expect anything in return.
pg. 43 "Wars are all about politics." Is this an over generalisation or the truth? This clarifies to the reader that a war is going on.
pg. 43 "That's why I held Billy's hand." Skip is becoming fonder to Billy and showing him affection.
pg. 45 "The bins hadn't been emptied, but as usual there weren't many leftovers.." Skip and Billy are forced to search bins in order to get food. Sad reality of homeless people.
pg. 50 "Billy and me with Max between us." Skip and Billy have a new acquaintance. Skip is no longer the youngest.
pg. 51 Skip discusses his father's idea of 3 sides in a war, the third side being "all the people who don't believe in war." I like this idea of 3 sides in a war. This is one of the few positive perspectives of Skip's Dad, even though the kids say, "your dad's crazy, everyone knows that!"
Chapter 6
pg. 52 Skip thinks selfishly and is happy there is a war and doesn't want Max's mum to return as he believes that, "Because of the war," he has Billy.
pg. 55 Skip doesn't want Max to be in the area the citizens are looking for survivers as he didn't want Max to see his Mum, "if she was under the bricks." Skip shows empathy and maturity as he is no longer the youngest one.
pg. 58 Skip, "I never had anyone little to take care of before."
Chapter 7
p.64 "Most people believe their mother will come for them when she says they will." Although Skip is referring to Max I think he is also reflecting on himself and when his mother ran away. I can personally connect when I was younger I always thought that figures in authority could do no wrong and I found it conflicting when this was not necessarily the case.
p.66 "some just crumpled quietly, like a pair of jeans with no legs in them, because there was nothing to hold them up." I find this simile quite interesting because it helped me visualise what was happening even though I have never seen a building collapse before. The use of simple/basic language to convey this point is quite effective.
p. 68 "home is where your winter coat is."
p. 69 This page is evidence of how the war has brought the community together. I can personally relate to this as when there are wars in Israel etc I feel the Jewish community coming together to support Israel - common idea throughout wars.
p. 71 "I never had anyone to pretend with before." Skip escapes from reality by doing art and pretending things. He does this as much for Max as himself.
p. 78 "he didn't know we never told strangers our names." Skip and Billy don't trust anyone - can't even reveal their names.
Chapter 8
p. 85 "It was like Billy had been doing this job all his life." Did Billy used to work at the fun fair? It's hard to see homeless people (or people in general) in different lights to how we usually see them - as working and having a thriving life. I can personally relate to when I first meet someone I see them in a certain way and find it hard to change my perception of them.
p. 90 "I should have stopped Max right then, but I watched his fingers undo the metal catch." Skip feeling guilty and responsible for Max. Brotherly instinct. I often feel this way about my younger sister.
p. 91 Comparing empty houses to, "raspberry tarts without jam." Author again uses basic/simple language to convey a more complex image.
p. 95 "I wished he'd be like that forever, because it felt as though he'd enjoyed being with us." Skip is becoming more and more connected/reliant on Billy. Seems him further as a paternal figure but still is worried of him leaving as a result of Skip's previous paternal and maternal figures.
p. 97 "I would get myself an education ... but for now I had to concentrate on staying alive and keeping us together." In wars and other extreme situations where staying alive is the number one priority, getting an education is often not seen as important, e.g. in third world countries where large portions of population are uneducated.
p. 102 In spite of having the 'one perfect day,' Max would still like to, "just go home." Evident to Skip how neither Max or Billy belong to him and this upsets him as he is starting to see them further and further as his family.
p. 104 "That's when we saw the ballerina." Introduction of new character.
p. 105 "I remembered a story ... about a girl with a coat like that." "I though about the wolf in the story." Referencing Little Red Riding Hood.
Chapter 10
p. 108 When Max asks Billy if he would ever eat dog food Billy replies, "You never know." Expresses how in extreme situations you never know what you will resort to - how some people who are lost at sea or on an island resort to cannibalism.
p. 110 Billy, "I never had anything before this all started. I've lived in No-Man's-Land for thirty years." Drawing parallels to living homeless and living in No-Man's-Land.
Chapter 11
p. 117 "she was a bit like me on the inside except she had her dancing and I had my pictures." Skip is referring to the fact how everyone has something that they are passionate about and helps them 'escape' from the world around them. Personally, I definitely have a passion for playing Netball that also helps me escape from stresses of school/exams/social pressures etc.
p. 120 "We've brought you some soup." Helping the girl out by giving her food. Showing empathy and a sense of curiosity towards her.
p. 123 "Then she let the dance come out of her." Refers to dancing as a being that is inside of her that she is holding in and finally being allowed to escape. Similar to Skip and his art. This serves as a connection between the two characters.
p. 124 "I'd seen his fists and I'd heard his sharp words, but I'd felt his gentle hand around mine." "he's our best friend." Here Skip is talking about Billy and explaining to the 'Ballerina" how he is good and won't hurt her, even though he may appear menacing. I think characters that are not immediately appealing to the viewer, like Billy, and have some rough edges make for a more deep and interesting character. Katniss Everdeen, from the Hunger Games, is also not initially the most likable protagonist, with an attitude problem, but her protectiveness over her sister and loyalty to her friends is what makes the reader fall in love with her. Billy, just like Katniss, is a gentle and loyal character who initially seems hard to understand and unlikable.
Chapter 12
p. 127 "I didn't know there were any rules of war." Skip is surprised to hear that 'peacekeepers' are being sent in to check they are not breaking any rules. I also find this notion funny that there are rules in a war when all sense of order and direction are gone. All's fair in love and war? Not quite.
p. 127 "We couldn't let her cry too much." They need to stop the baby from crying too much as to not alert the soldiers. In Nazi, Germany, Jews living in hiding always had to stop the babies from crying as they could alert the Nazis of their hiding positions.
p. 130 "I was afraid we'd never see them again." Skip resorts to the worst case-scenario as a result of being abandoned and deserted in the past.
Chapter 13
pg. 135 "It wasn't only when we couldn't see her she left us; sometimes when she was sitting right next to us it was like she wasn't really there at all." Skip is referring to the fact how Tia sometimes seems to be "somewhere else" in the sense she is thinking of other things and times and not there in the moment.
pg. 136 "It was the same with the sounds of the war. They'd become normal," I find it hard to grapple with the idea of how such terrible things can become normalised in society. Are there things in my life that I have become normalised to that I shouldn't be? Like racism/sexism etc.
pg. 137 Skip - "I thought it must be nice to trust someone that much." Skip's trusting issues.
pg. 140 "I wondered what would happen if the soldiers wanted more than dancing from Tia." Is Tia trustworthy? Will she reveal their whereabouts to the soldiers and betray them?
Chapter 14
pg.150-151 "But, if it meant keeping my friends safe, I knew I'd watch whilst every single one of my books got burned." Shows Skip's unwavering loyalty to his friends that he would let his Art books burn, his prized possessions, to keep them safe. I find this quality extremely admirable and as a reader I can connect to Skip more as I also would do anything to keep my friends safe.
Chapter 15
pg. 153 "But after what we'd been through together, how could he think I was weak? How could he think I would let Max down when he needed me most?"
pg. 154 "You don't want me around. You never have." Skip's insecurities from the past are flaring up as he thinks Billy is trying to desert him and Max. Skip needs someone to lean on and would not be able to cope on his own. He has formed a true connection with Billy and Max.
pg. 155 "They took my boy off me and locked me up." Billy is revealing why his life has ended up the way it has. He is worried you will make the same mistakes with Skip that he made in the past.
pg. 156 "He held his arms out. I couldn't believe it. All I had to do was walk into them." Skip and Billy's conflict is resolved by a simple hug. I love the simplicity of this and can relate to resolving arguments with my sister etc with a simple hug :)
pg. 158 "I wanted Billy to know that my dad gave me to the Welfare people and even after that I never stopped loving him, but I couldn't say it." This makes me feel so sad for Skip.
pg. 162 "I told myself I had to be like Max who believed with all his heart, because she had always come back before." Skip is both referencing to Max's mother and Tia. He draws inspiration of the strengths of the people around him to help him keep going and be hopeful.
Chapter 16
p. 168 Skip is preparing in this fairly short Chapter to say goodbye to Max, his "brother." "Then I kissed Max because I loved him, and everyone I had ever loved before had gone away and I had never kissed them goodbye." I found this part of the book very emotional. Skip has had to deal with so many people deserting him or leaving him and this is a sad reality that no one should have to deal with. Max and Skip's relationship has developed a lot from the start where Skip wished for Max's mother not to return in order to keep the group together, to gaining responsibility for someone else and empathy for Max.
Chapter 17
pg. 171 Tia has run away and Skip blames himself. "...it was my fault because I hadn't given her the necklace." I think it is unfair for Skip to blame himself as it is not his fault. He can't accept responsibility for anyone's actions besides his own.
pg. 177 "He said the words were like a blessing and you wouldn't find a better one in any prayer book anywhere in the world." Billy sings Max and Skip songs to help them fall asleep. I can relate to this as when I can't fall asleep I listen to music and it helps me relax and fall asleep.
Chapter 18
pg. 183 "The pain was payback for all the bad things I'd done." Skip still blames himself for things that are totally out of his control such as Tia leaving etc. I think this is totally unfair and upsetting as he always tries his best and he shouldn't blame himself.
pg. 188 "But Billy could do anything." Skip believes Billy can do anything. Again, this is similar to when little kids think their parents can do anything and are perfect.
pg. 190 "Well if you won't bloody well help me, I'll do it myself!" Finally, Skip is not relying on Billy or his father to do things for him but he is having faith in himself. This sentence made me happy as throughout the whole book Skip keeps on relying on other people to come up with solutions or solve his problems. At the start of the book, Skip immediately latches onto Billie as a guide in his new world. Finally, Skip has realised that the only person that can do things for him is himself, thus taking responsibility for his actions.
Chapter 19
pg. 192 "I want to make a garden," "A garden with a lily pond." Referencing the Monet painting in the book he treasured.
pg. 193 "Promise me you'll take Sixpence." Tia doesn't want to take responsibility for her own daughter and wants Skip to take her.
pg. 193 'Fifteen's old enough to have a baby, but it's not old enough to be a mother." Tia cannot cope with all that being a mother entails; looking after another human being and raising it.
pg. 195 "I didn't know what to say when someone's given you a small free kiss in the dark," I finally understand why this book is called ASFKID!
Chapter 20
pg. 204 Despite everything, despite Skip's best efforts Tia has returned to the soldiers. How will Skip react?
pg. 208 Tia kills one of the soldiers. "She did it so the rest of us could get away." I think I have been underestimating Tia - she truly acted selflessly and heroically.
Chapter 21
pg. 210 Skip has found someone who is "on the Third Side; that didn't believe in war." This person helped them escape and this theory of the Third Side was first said by Skip's father.
pg. 211"But I knew it was only my own body heat making her warm." Devastatingly, Tia dies.
pg. 214 Billy, Skip, Max, Sixpence and the soldier bury Tia in the cemetery. Billy said that, "when we die the darkness leaves us." I think that this is a nice idea that when we die all the evil leaves us and we are pure like, "the way we were born."
Chapter 22
pg. 216 They arrived at Max's grandparents house, i.e. their safe haven. Here, their mismatched family will be safe. Finally, Skip has the family he has always dreamed of.
pg. 216 "And I'll tell her the most important thing of all: that her mother loved her better than life."
In this chapter Skip runs away from home by catching a train to the city. He meets homeless people drawing and sits with them. Skip expresses how he has trouble in social situations and with friends and currently lives with a foster family that he has troubles with. He also had troubles with his Dad. It is unclear whether his Mum is dead or ran away when he was very young. Our group has a bit of confusion on this topic and discussed it.
"I hope my new life would be better than the one I left behind." Page 1.
"Sometimes I made up reasons to myself why I had no friends." Page 2. What are some of these reasons? Why does he make them up? How does the author choose to express this and how effective is it?
"pretend family." Page 4.
"She said that Mrs Ransome was probably only trying to help me move on when she tried to burn Dad's coat." Page 5. Do you agree with Mrs Ransome's conclusion?
"Not all homes are happy, the grey whispered like a ghost." Page 6. Why does Skip feel this way? Do you have any personal connections to this quote?
"The weirdest thing was that no one told the people drawing to scram, and no one spat on their pictures or peed on them." Page 7. Is this a true reflection of how homeless people are treated? Did you find this confronting?
Chapter 2 p. 11-22
Skip is living on the streets under the guidance of an old man, Billy. He shows his artistic skills by drawing seagulls on the pavement.
pg. 11 "I saw Billy looking at the bruises on my arms." Are these bruises from abuse? Is this the reason why he ran away?
pg.12 "I was waiting for him to tell me to get lost but he didn't." Skip is used to being treated badly.
pg.12 "...and that bird got inside me again, flapping and flapping against my rib cage." I like this metaphor.
pg. 16 "Running away was easy; not knowing what to do next was the hard part." He is starting to see the consequences of his actions. He planned how he was going to run away but never planned what he would do after - naive.
Billy has become important to him. Skip follows him around and sees him as a navigator to this new and unknown world.
pg. 18 "It wasn't as if I was the reason he'd left." Skip secretly hopes he is the reason Billy left the shelter, shows how young he is and how he has attached himself to Billy.
pg. 19 "He never called me 'kid' anymore." Skip is starting to gain respect in the eyes of Billy as he is no longer seen as a little kid.
Chp 3 pg 22-33
In this chapter the reader is introduced to a new character called Michaela, who works at the library that Billy and Skip visit. At the library Skip looks at artworks.
pg. 23 "Michaela was beautiful... Her hair was cut short and spiked like boys' hair." This is Skip's descrpiton of Michaela. I like how although he is describing her as beautiful she is not depicted as the typical female character with long hair and a really feminine appearance.
pg. 24 "Most people don't look at you when you're in a soup queue; not really look." This is a reflection of how we see homeless people. I know personally sometimes when I see homeless people on the street I try to not look at them or deal with the issue. This is definitely confronting.
Chapter 4
I found this chapter slightly confusing trying to follow what was going on. When Skip wakes up he is confronted to loud noises, alarms and people screaming. It seems he is in some sort of war. Perhaps the author intended to make this chapter slightly confusing as a war must feel to everyone in it. Skip searches for Billy who he finds asleep. He thinks Billy is dead when actually it is Bradley Clark - a member of the shelter.
pg. 34 & 36 repetition of phrase, "huge, stained-glass window." Referring to a church window.
pg. 41 "Then the man's arms went around me and I knew he wasn't a ghost and I knew I wasn't damaged like my dad." Further insight into what was wrong with Skip's Dad. Also is interesting how Skip refers to his Dad as 'damaged.'
Chapter 5
pg. 42 "I heard that .... human friends." Skip has a pure, simple kindness and maturity about him. He doesn't expect anything in return.
pg. 43 "Wars are all about politics." Is this an over generalisation or the truth? This clarifies to the reader that a war is going on.
pg. 43 "That's why I held Billy's hand." Skip is becoming fonder to Billy and showing him affection.
pg. 45 "The bins hadn't been emptied, but as usual there weren't many leftovers.." Skip and Billy are forced to search bins in order to get food. Sad reality of homeless people.
pg. 50 "Billy and me with Max between us." Skip and Billy have a new acquaintance. Skip is no longer the youngest.
pg. 51 Skip discusses his father's idea of 3 sides in a war, the third side being "all the people who don't believe in war." I like this idea of 3 sides in a war. This is one of the few positive perspectives of Skip's Dad, even though the kids say, "your dad's crazy, everyone knows that!"
Chapter 6
pg. 52 Skip thinks selfishly and is happy there is a war and doesn't want Max's mum to return as he believes that, "Because of the war," he has Billy.
pg. 55 Skip doesn't want Max to be in the area the citizens are looking for survivers as he didn't want Max to see his Mum, "if she was under the bricks." Skip shows empathy and maturity as he is no longer the youngest one.
pg. 58 Skip, "I never had anyone little to take care of before."
Chapter 7
p.64 "Most people believe their mother will come for them when she says they will." Although Skip is referring to Max I think he is also reflecting on himself and when his mother ran away. I can personally connect when I was younger I always thought that figures in authority could do no wrong and I found it conflicting when this was not necessarily the case.
p.66 "some just crumpled quietly, like a pair of jeans with no legs in them, because there was nothing to hold them up." I find this simile quite interesting because it helped me visualise what was happening even though I have never seen a building collapse before. The use of simple/basic language to convey this point is quite effective.
p. 68 "home is where your winter coat is."
p. 69 This page is evidence of how the war has brought the community together. I can personally relate to this as when there are wars in Israel etc I feel the Jewish community coming together to support Israel - common idea throughout wars.
p. 71 "I never had anyone to pretend with before." Skip escapes from reality by doing art and pretending things. He does this as much for Max as himself.
p. 78 "he didn't know we never told strangers our names." Skip and Billy don't trust anyone - can't even reveal their names.
Chapter 8
p. 85 "It was like Billy had been doing this job all his life." Did Billy used to work at the fun fair? It's hard to see homeless people (or people in general) in different lights to how we usually see them - as working and having a thriving life. I can personally relate to when I first meet someone I see them in a certain way and find it hard to change my perception of them.
p. 90 "I should have stopped Max right then, but I watched his fingers undo the metal catch." Skip feeling guilty and responsible for Max. Brotherly instinct. I often feel this way about my younger sister.
p. 91 Comparing empty houses to, "raspberry tarts without jam." Author again uses basic/simple language to convey a more complex image.
p. 95 "I wished he'd be like that forever, because it felt as though he'd enjoyed being with us." Skip is becoming more and more connected/reliant on Billy. Seems him further as a paternal figure but still is worried of him leaving as a result of Skip's previous paternal and maternal figures.
p. 97 "I would get myself an education ... but for now I had to concentrate on staying alive and keeping us together." In wars and other extreme situations where staying alive is the number one priority, getting an education is often not seen as important, e.g. in third world countries where large portions of population are uneducated.
p. 102 In spite of having the 'one perfect day,' Max would still like to, "just go home." Evident to Skip how neither Max or Billy belong to him and this upsets him as he is starting to see them further and further as his family.
p. 104 "That's when we saw the ballerina." Introduction of new character.
p. 105 "I remembered a story ... about a girl with a coat like that." "I though about the wolf in the story." Referencing Little Red Riding Hood.
Chapter 10
p. 108 When Max asks Billy if he would ever eat dog food Billy replies, "You never know." Expresses how in extreme situations you never know what you will resort to - how some people who are lost at sea or on an island resort to cannibalism.
p. 110 Billy, "I never had anything before this all started. I've lived in No-Man's-Land for thirty years." Drawing parallels to living homeless and living in No-Man's-Land.
Chapter 11
p. 117 "she was a bit like me on the inside except she had her dancing and I had my pictures." Skip is referring to the fact how everyone has something that they are passionate about and helps them 'escape' from the world around them. Personally, I definitely have a passion for playing Netball that also helps me escape from stresses of school/exams/social pressures etc.
p. 120 "We've brought you some soup." Helping the girl out by giving her food. Showing empathy and a sense of curiosity towards her.
p. 123 "Then she let the dance come out of her." Refers to dancing as a being that is inside of her that she is holding in and finally being allowed to escape. Similar to Skip and his art. This serves as a connection between the two characters.
p. 124 "I'd seen his fists and I'd heard his sharp words, but I'd felt his gentle hand around mine." "he's our best friend." Here Skip is talking about Billy and explaining to the 'Ballerina" how he is good and won't hurt her, even though he may appear menacing. I think characters that are not immediately appealing to the viewer, like Billy, and have some rough edges make for a more deep and interesting character. Katniss Everdeen, from the Hunger Games, is also not initially the most likable protagonist, with an attitude problem, but her protectiveness over her sister and loyalty to her friends is what makes the reader fall in love with her. Billy, just like Katniss, is a gentle and loyal character who initially seems hard to understand and unlikable.
Chapter 12
p. 127 "I didn't know there were any rules of war." Skip is surprised to hear that 'peacekeepers' are being sent in to check they are not breaking any rules. I also find this notion funny that there are rules in a war when all sense of order and direction are gone. All's fair in love and war? Not quite.
p. 127 "We couldn't let her cry too much." They need to stop the baby from crying too much as to not alert the soldiers. In Nazi, Germany, Jews living in hiding always had to stop the babies from crying as they could alert the Nazis of their hiding positions.
p. 130 "I was afraid we'd never see them again." Skip resorts to the worst case-scenario as a result of being abandoned and deserted in the past.
Chapter 13
pg. 135 "It wasn't only when we couldn't see her she left us; sometimes when she was sitting right next to us it was like she wasn't really there at all." Skip is referring to the fact how Tia sometimes seems to be "somewhere else" in the sense she is thinking of other things and times and not there in the moment.
pg. 136 "It was the same with the sounds of the war. They'd become normal," I find it hard to grapple with the idea of how such terrible things can become normalised in society. Are there things in my life that I have become normalised to that I shouldn't be? Like racism/sexism etc.
pg. 137 Skip - "I thought it must be nice to trust someone that much." Skip's trusting issues.
pg. 140 "I wondered what would happen if the soldiers wanted more than dancing from Tia." Is Tia trustworthy? Will she reveal their whereabouts to the soldiers and betray them?
Chapter 14
pg.150-151 "But, if it meant keeping my friends safe, I knew I'd watch whilst every single one of my books got burned." Shows Skip's unwavering loyalty to his friends that he would let his Art books burn, his prized possessions, to keep them safe. I find this quality extremely admirable and as a reader I can connect to Skip more as I also would do anything to keep my friends safe.
Chapter 15
pg. 153 "But after what we'd been through together, how could he think I was weak? How could he think I would let Max down when he needed me most?"
pg. 154 "You don't want me around. You never have." Skip's insecurities from the past are flaring up as he thinks Billy is trying to desert him and Max. Skip needs someone to lean on and would not be able to cope on his own. He has formed a true connection with Billy and Max.
pg. 155 "They took my boy off me and locked me up." Billy is revealing why his life has ended up the way it has. He is worried you will make the same mistakes with Skip that he made in the past.
pg. 156 "He held his arms out. I couldn't believe it. All I had to do was walk into them." Skip and Billy's conflict is resolved by a simple hug. I love the simplicity of this and can relate to resolving arguments with my sister etc with a simple hug :)
pg. 158 "I wanted Billy to know that my dad gave me to the Welfare people and even after that I never stopped loving him, but I couldn't say it." This makes me feel so sad for Skip.
pg. 162 "I told myself I had to be like Max who believed with all his heart, because she had always come back before." Skip is both referencing to Max's mother and Tia. He draws inspiration of the strengths of the people around him to help him keep going and be hopeful.
Chapter 16
p. 168 Skip is preparing in this fairly short Chapter to say goodbye to Max, his "brother." "Then I kissed Max because I loved him, and everyone I had ever loved before had gone away and I had never kissed them goodbye." I found this part of the book very emotional. Skip has had to deal with so many people deserting him or leaving him and this is a sad reality that no one should have to deal with. Max and Skip's relationship has developed a lot from the start where Skip wished for Max's mother not to return in order to keep the group together, to gaining responsibility for someone else and empathy for Max.
Chapter 17
pg. 171 Tia has run away and Skip blames himself. "...it was my fault because I hadn't given her the necklace." I think it is unfair for Skip to blame himself as it is not his fault. He can't accept responsibility for anyone's actions besides his own.
pg. 177 "He said the words were like a blessing and you wouldn't find a better one in any prayer book anywhere in the world." Billy sings Max and Skip songs to help them fall asleep. I can relate to this as when I can't fall asleep I listen to music and it helps me relax and fall asleep.
Chapter 18
pg. 183 "The pain was payback for all the bad things I'd done." Skip still blames himself for things that are totally out of his control such as Tia leaving etc. I think this is totally unfair and upsetting as he always tries his best and he shouldn't blame himself.
pg. 188 "But Billy could do anything." Skip believes Billy can do anything. Again, this is similar to when little kids think their parents can do anything and are perfect.
pg. 190 "Well if you won't bloody well help me, I'll do it myself!" Finally, Skip is not relying on Billy or his father to do things for him but he is having faith in himself. This sentence made me happy as throughout the whole book Skip keeps on relying on other people to come up with solutions or solve his problems. At the start of the book, Skip immediately latches onto Billie as a guide in his new world. Finally, Skip has realised that the only person that can do things for him is himself, thus taking responsibility for his actions.
Chapter 19
pg. 192 "I want to make a garden," "A garden with a lily pond." Referencing the Monet painting in the book he treasured.
pg. 193 "Promise me you'll take Sixpence." Tia doesn't want to take responsibility for her own daughter and wants Skip to take her.
pg. 193 'Fifteen's old enough to have a baby, but it's not old enough to be a mother." Tia cannot cope with all that being a mother entails; looking after another human being and raising it.
pg. 195 "I didn't know what to say when someone's given you a small free kiss in the dark," I finally understand why this book is called ASFKID!
Chapter 20
pg. 204 Despite everything, despite Skip's best efforts Tia has returned to the soldiers. How will Skip react?
pg. 208 Tia kills one of the soldiers. "She did it so the rest of us could get away." I think I have been underestimating Tia - she truly acted selflessly and heroically.
Chapter 21
pg. 210 Skip has found someone who is "on the Third Side; that didn't believe in war." This person helped them escape and this theory of the Third Side was first said by Skip's father.
pg. 211"But I knew it was only my own body heat making her warm." Devastatingly, Tia dies.
pg. 214 Billy, Skip, Max, Sixpence and the soldier bury Tia in the cemetery. Billy said that, "when we die the darkness leaves us." I think that this is a nice idea that when we die all the evil leaves us and we are pure like, "the way we were born."
Chapter 22
pg. 216 They arrived at Max's grandparents house, i.e. their safe haven. Here, their mismatched family will be safe. Finally, Skip has the family he has always dreamed of.
pg. 216 "And I'll tell her the most important thing of all: that her mother loved her better than life."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 25, 2013
The best books take readers into the ordinary places and routines in the lives of ostensibly unexceptional characters, and transform their interactions into things of beauty and rarity. In many such novels, as this one, the writing style is unostentatious, not particularly descriptive or beautiful, even sometimes seemingly a little naiive and simplistic.
Books such as these have an artistry, for me, that is magical - they are so well put together that I can’t really deconstruct how they manage to lift their characters up, but I know from experience that they take their readers with them and it is a wonderful, transformative journey which leaves us the wiser, the world around us imbued with the aura of specialness which has rubbed off from the world of the novel. Louise Erdrich does this with the best of her novels, like The Master Butcher’s Singing Club, and Glenda Millard, whom I’m proud to note is an Australian, achieves it for a Young Adult audience with A Small Free Kiss in the Dark.
But on to the story. It follows Skip, a damaged twelve or thirteen year old who expresses his love via the safe method of chalk drawing. He’s used to feeling disappointed in people, and each positive relationship he forms, even if a fleeting one, is one that he treasures in a furtive, desperate way which he tries, often unsuccessfully, to dissemble from. Skip has been disappointed in his parents and has been living on the streets for some time when he finds, to his surprise, that he is tolerated when he hangs around him by Billy, an old homeless man with a limp. Billy turns out to be goodhearted, and they form a partnership which brings out a protectiveness and selfishness in Skip which shames him when war breaks out and they meet up with little Max who needs their help desperately. But 6 year old Max turns out, like so many things which take us beyond our comfort zone, to be a joy to Skip and a way back to the childhood which has been taken from him so prematurely. Thus, a pathway to healing and purpose.
The three make their way to an abandoned amusement park, which makes a marvelous setting for the final events of the book in which they meet Mia and her baby - another challenging inclusion to the little group. Here we have some action which distinguishes this novel from those suitable for a primary school audience, as Mia engages in sex, and is possibly raped, by the soldiers who sustain her with their gifts. Mia’s attitude towards her baby is also inconsistent and challenging at times, but they, too eventually are included in the small circle of those whom Skip loves - for he is so desperately keen to love and be loved, and we love him for it- and it is Mia who gives Skip a chaste, kind, kiss one night, before her fate overtakes her to our intense sadness, both for her beautiful qualites, and for Skip, that he may never again experience a transient, fluttering innocent love.
Books such as these have an artistry, for me, that is magical - they are so well put together that I can’t really deconstruct how they manage to lift their characters up, but I know from experience that they take their readers with them and it is a wonderful, transformative journey which leaves us the wiser, the world around us imbued with the aura of specialness which has rubbed off from the world of the novel. Louise Erdrich does this with the best of her novels, like The Master Butcher’s Singing Club, and Glenda Millard, whom I’m proud to note is an Australian, achieves it for a Young Adult audience with A Small Free Kiss in the Dark.
But on to the story. It follows Skip, a damaged twelve or thirteen year old who expresses his love via the safe method of chalk drawing. He’s used to feeling disappointed in people, and each positive relationship he forms, even if a fleeting one, is one that he treasures in a furtive, desperate way which he tries, often unsuccessfully, to dissemble from. Skip has been disappointed in his parents and has been living on the streets for some time when he finds, to his surprise, that he is tolerated when he hangs around him by Billy, an old homeless man with a limp. Billy turns out to be goodhearted, and they form a partnership which brings out a protectiveness and selfishness in Skip which shames him when war breaks out and they meet up with little Max who needs their help desperately. But 6 year old Max turns out, like so many things which take us beyond our comfort zone, to be a joy to Skip and a way back to the childhood which has been taken from him so prematurely. Thus, a pathway to healing and purpose.
The three make their way to an abandoned amusement park, which makes a marvelous setting for the final events of the book in which they meet Mia and her baby - another challenging inclusion to the little group. Here we have some action which distinguishes this novel from those suitable for a primary school audience, as Mia engages in sex, and is possibly raped, by the soldiers who sustain her with their gifts. Mia’s attitude towards her baby is also inconsistent and challenging at times, but they, too eventually are included in the small circle of those whom Skip loves - for he is so desperately keen to love and be loved, and we love him for it- and it is Mia who gives Skip a chaste, kind, kiss one night, before her fate overtakes her to our intense sadness, both for her beautiful qualites, and for Skip, that he may never again experience a transient, fluttering innocent love.
March 30, 2012
A Small Free Kiss in the Dark is a rare gem in a YA genre full of cliches, the ever-present love triangle and hormone fuelled angst. There's nothing about this book which made me think I'd read it before. Hooray!
It's sparse and almost simple in presentation, but it's not until the sentences have settled on your skin for a few moments you realise how cleverly its written. The narrator is a 12 year old boy - Skip - who has run away from foster homes to live on the streets. Skip is an artist, and sees things with the kind of detail that makes even the mundane seem beautiful. He befriends Billy, a homeless "old timer" who has his own dark past but helps Skip survive on the streets. When war suddenly strikes their city the pair find themselves caring for a young boy and are later joined by a teenage dancer and her baby. The group form an unlikely "family" and camp out in an adventure park in no-man's land. The setting is an unnamed city in Australia (well at least my version appeared to be so, if they're playing cricket on the beach and getting Vegemite from the supermarket it's fairly clear the setting is down under somewhere).
While I've marked the book as dystopia, it isn't really - more a tale of survival during wartime, but that perhaps has similarities with the kind of adapting to life when society falls over themes you find in dystopian fiction. In this case Billy and Skip are pretty adept at doing their best with very little and in some ways they do better because they were homeless before. It's a nice spin on the 'how will we cope' question. The war stuff is fairly oblique and nameless, and happens on the periphery of Skip's world view - there's no politics or anything of that nature to keep track of.
While the set up is fairly bleak, Skip's unfailing belief that everything will be Ok keeps the reader buoyant and the books also ends in a hopeful place.
I hardly ever quote from books but there were so many lovely phrases that really touched me. Here are a couple:
Skip on Max (the little boy who they adopt into their group) finding his mother and leaving them.
"The thought of Max finding his mother was as lonely as an albatross."
Skip at the end of a chapter after the dancer and her baby (who they name Sixpence) have joined them. "I have especially made this chapter short because it's mostly about small and precious things, like sixpences and babies."
Skip (in the middle of a war) on the important things in life; "...to where my books where hidden. I put the one about Monet in my backpack. I wanted to be by myself for a little while, just to think about things the way I used to; important things like light and shade and the meanings of color."
I would absolutely read this again one day. Beautifully written, and easy to see why it is award worthy.
It's sparse and almost simple in presentation, but it's not until the sentences have settled on your skin for a few moments you realise how cleverly its written. The narrator is a 12 year old boy - Skip - who has run away from foster homes to live on the streets. Skip is an artist, and sees things with the kind of detail that makes even the mundane seem beautiful. He befriends Billy, a homeless "old timer" who has his own dark past but helps Skip survive on the streets. When war suddenly strikes their city the pair find themselves caring for a young boy and are later joined by a teenage dancer and her baby. The group form an unlikely "family" and camp out in an adventure park in no-man's land. The setting is an unnamed city in Australia (well at least my version appeared to be so, if they're playing cricket on the beach and getting Vegemite from the supermarket it's fairly clear the setting is down under somewhere).
While I've marked the book as dystopia, it isn't really - more a tale of survival during wartime, but that perhaps has similarities with the kind of adapting to life when society falls over themes you find in dystopian fiction. In this case Billy and Skip are pretty adept at doing their best with very little and in some ways they do better because they were homeless before. It's a nice spin on the 'how will we cope' question. The war stuff is fairly oblique and nameless, and happens on the periphery of Skip's world view - there's no politics or anything of that nature to keep track of.
While the set up is fairly bleak, Skip's unfailing belief that everything will be Ok keeps the reader buoyant and the books also ends in a hopeful place.
I hardly ever quote from books but there were so many lovely phrases that really touched me. Here are a couple:
Skip on Max (the little boy who they adopt into their group) finding his mother and leaving them.
"The thought of Max finding his mother was as lonely as an albatross."
Skip at the end of a chapter after the dancer and her baby (who they name Sixpence) have joined them. "I have especially made this chapter short because it's mostly about small and precious things, like sixpences and babies."
Skip (in the middle of a war) on the important things in life; "...to where my books where hidden. I put the one about Monet in my backpack. I wanted to be by myself for a little while, just to think about things the way I used to; important things like light and shade and the meanings of color."
I would absolutely read this again one day. Beautifully written, and easy to see why it is award worthy.
July 25, 2015
i dunno. i didn't like it all that much to be completely honest.
November 23, 2015
CHAPTER 1:
Skip has been through a lot. Here in this chapter, we get a foundation on the main character and we see how his past reflects his present. He has had a tough upbringing. He seems to be insecure, as he is constantly comparing himself to other kids his age. He wants to see his mother. He wants to feel like he is being cared for. He decides to take few belongings and leave. Without telling no one. He describes himself as he enters the train; " I felt like a bird has got inside my chest and was beating its wings trying to get loose, and it wasn't leaving much room for me to breath". This shows that Skip wants change, yet anxiety overcomes his freedom. Towards the end of the chapter we see that Skip meets a man called Billy. They meet at a public area where they are both looking at pictures/paintings.
CHAPTER 2:
Here Billy and Skip have gone off and explored the world. Billy ends up in a refuge, but gets injured and leaves. Both of them do not feel secure, but still have each other. They venture out and there is a feeling of separation in this chapter. Billy and Skip have become a little distant. Ultimately, these 2 boys are both outcasts and are trying to find themselves in this big world.
CHAPTER 3:
Skip's an outsider. He's never fitted in. So he takes to the streets. Life there may be hard, but it's better than the one he's left behind, especially when he teams up with Billy, an old homeless man. In this chapter, there main purpose is to survive. Skip also gives Skip's an outsider. He's never fitted in. So he takes to the streets. Life there may be hard, but it's better than the one he's left behind, especially when he teams up with Billy, an old homeless man. In this chapter, there main purpose is to survive. Skip also gives more about this family as he describes his father as a "damaging man". Even in the most difficult circumstances, Skip sees Billy as a father figure, which gives him a sense of security. They both try to find a strategy so they can both survive. about this family as he describes his father as a "damaging man". Even in the most difficult circumstances, Skip sees Billy as a father figure, which gives him a sense of security. They both try to find a strategy so they can both survive.
Chapter 4:
Colours seem to resemble meaning in this novel. " Red is brave,loud & fast and sometimes dangerous or angry" whilst Black is soft, slow, silent and sad, but it can be angry too". Skip finds meaning in everything. Skip sees he world was red and black which in his outlook on life means war. Skip needs Billy, because he gives him a sense of ultimate security. He seems to have loved his father at certain youthful times in his life, but then life turned aroun..."when I was a little kid, when I had a father , before he let the ghosts get him". I have noticed that as the story progresses more colours are introduced and resemble meaning ( Yellow is the colour of happiness & kindness ). The chapter ends with Skip saying that Billy's heart was no colour and every colour. Like water of diamonds or crystals. He could see straight through Billy and he resembled everything. He was pure. Now, Skip had someone to confide in.
Chapter 5:
In this chapter, I have started to form the morals and hidden messages and have found the layers beneath the text itself. We can see that a "form of war" is happening and that Skip fears the dark side,because he's been through dark times. He wants to distance himself away from political games and violence. Also, as the reader I noticed the effect of being homeless. Skip and Billy are getting food from rubbish bins and every day they wake up , not knowing where they will sleep at night. I see that hope is what keeps them alive. Ultimately, even though everything around them is corrupt or damaged, Billy and Skip holds a fragile bond which essentially keeps them surviving.
Chapter 6:
In this chapter, We begin to see Skip as a mature character, rather than a young boy. As Billy goes off to find food, Skip has to look after 6 year old Max. He wants Max to feel safe even though there surroundings are warlike. Max wants his Mother and he wants to feel secure. Skip doesnt know when this war is going to end. At night, Max starts screaming. He had a nightmare and was scared. I think this shows how tough it can be for young people to be homeless or not to have parents. They are constantly afraid of the world. The chapter ends as Skip says, " I didn't want Max to be like me, always looking and never finding." I think this refers to Skips life and how he always searches, yet he never finds what he was searching for. Ultimately, we see the terror that occurs in these Character's lives , moreover, the importance of having loved ones around you in difficult times.
Chapter 7:
In this chapter, the intensity,worries,hunger and freedom haunts the characters. I think that war is something we often disregard in Australia especially. Yes, there is the Middle East conflict and so on, but we have not really experienced the true feeling of not knowing where to go and having the chance of dying every second. For Skip, Billy and Max it is a continual cycle of loneliness and hope. Max is 6 years old and has to accept that his Mother is likely not to return. Can you imagine being heartbroken like that? Can you imagine being in Skips or Billy's position where you have to confront a 6 year old?. Also, I think symbols of war are cleverly shown in this novel. For example, People stealing from shops or lying about their identity (when "Albert Park" was a suburb, not his name- reference , Page 78) is a common thread related to war. Ultimately, in this chapter I felt a strong sense of empathy for these characters. Just like Skip in this chapter, personally I find it difficult to hide my fears in order to make someone else feel as if they have nothing to worry about ( such as Max and Skip). It's hard to be in a situation, where you have to hide your true fears and feelings. Hence, this shows the bravery of Skip and how he has becomes a stronger person over time.
Chapter 8:
In this chapter, I got to see how the character's hold on dear to their happiness they encounter despite the war they surround. Skip, Billy and Max make there way to a place called "Dreamland". I think Glenda Millard wanted to symbolise the idea of people in war , always ,looking towards a utopia future. The idea of hope. This chapters depicts how happy times can swiftly be shuffled to dark times in an instant, however, its the happy times that will always be remembered. I noticed a bond between the 3 protagonists. Billy is like the "father figure", the one who is the main provider of food etc. Skip is the "care giver for Max and Billys friend". It's amazing to see how such a wide variety of ages can still all form a lifetime friendship. Skip worries if Billy will stay as Billy is like a sense of security, which without, would feel unsafe. Ultimately, this chapter highlights a bright moment in these character's lives and the triple friendship that helps them survive.
Chapter 9:
In this chapter, A rollercoaster of emotions occur.Skip decides to give Max and Billy "a perfect day" because he wants them to always be together. The sky is described " was as grey as a pigeon's back", however, " Billys voice was smooth and yellow and peaceful". The idea is that Billy holds his sense of safety, which without Skip would feel unsafe. During the perfect day that Skip plans, they eat food and enjoy their freedom by splashing in the water. Then reality hits, and the storm occurs , so the boys have to pack up their bags and head to Dreamland ( their isolated shelter). The idea again is that even in joyus times, reality will hit. As a result, Max decides he wants to go home. Who wouldn't want too? . This leads to Skip feeling "stupid" for not realising that Billy and Max both belonged to someone else. I guess it upset him that he didn't have anyone loving apart from them in his life. Skip is proved wrong when Billy calls him to come with them. Towards the end of the chapter, a girl with a baby is walking ( which is rare in their surroundings). The coat that the girl was wearing reminded Skip on a child hood story. He referred it to a story similar to Little Red Riding hood, ultimately implying that he was afraid she would be not safe.
Chapter 10:
In this chapter, the girl with the red coat comes back again. Also, Max's mother is described as a 'missing person'. And Billy,Skip and Max go to a run down isolated supermarket to collect food. Millard goes back to Skip's childhood and she describes Skip being forced by some boy in his year to say something he didnt even want to say. From this, we can gather that Skip was bullied at school. During this chapter, Max questions Billy's morals as he asks him why is he going into someone else's backyard. Max seems to be scared and he doesn't understand how war is war. I dont really know a lot about the girl with the red coat, however Skip describes her as having "eyes like pansies" and "skin like the moon". Sharing is a concept that is explored in this chapter. The girl's baby needs milk so the boys kindly give her milk. This novel constantly uses colours to symbolise feelings, inner and outer emotions and apperenace. Red is described as danger. Isn't is ironic that red can also represent love?
Chapter 11:
This chapter was really pivotal as it showed the overcoming of fear, meaning in the most simplest ways, living homeless and friendship. In this chapter, the girl with the baby returns. I connect with her in the way that sometimes you fear things because you want to protect yourself. In this instance, the girl didnt know whether to trust Billy or not. Skip assures her that Billy is like their father and best friend. This girl clearly has gone through difficult times as she has scars on her wrist. She has not talked about her past yet but I feel she will eventually open up. Her means of feeling comfort is through dancing. Skip is mesmerized. Sadness touched me in this chapter because I felt the character's emotions. It was like Millard was able to capture the reader and hook them into the character's lives. Ultimately, I thoroughly enjoyed this chapter.
Skip has been through a lot. Here in this chapter, we get a foundation on the main character and we see how his past reflects his present. He has had a tough upbringing. He seems to be insecure, as he is constantly comparing himself to other kids his age. He wants to see his mother. He wants to feel like he is being cared for. He decides to take few belongings and leave. Without telling no one. He describes himself as he enters the train; " I felt like a bird has got inside my chest and was beating its wings trying to get loose, and it wasn't leaving much room for me to breath". This shows that Skip wants change, yet anxiety overcomes his freedom. Towards the end of the chapter we see that Skip meets a man called Billy. They meet at a public area where they are both looking at pictures/paintings.
CHAPTER 2:
Here Billy and Skip have gone off and explored the world. Billy ends up in a refuge, but gets injured and leaves. Both of them do not feel secure, but still have each other. They venture out and there is a feeling of separation in this chapter. Billy and Skip have become a little distant. Ultimately, these 2 boys are both outcasts and are trying to find themselves in this big world.
CHAPTER 3:
Skip's an outsider. He's never fitted in. So he takes to the streets. Life there may be hard, but it's better than the one he's left behind, especially when he teams up with Billy, an old homeless man. In this chapter, there main purpose is to survive. Skip also gives Skip's an outsider. He's never fitted in. So he takes to the streets. Life there may be hard, but it's better than the one he's left behind, especially when he teams up with Billy, an old homeless man. In this chapter, there main purpose is to survive. Skip also gives more about this family as he describes his father as a "damaging man". Even in the most difficult circumstances, Skip sees Billy as a father figure, which gives him a sense of security. They both try to find a strategy so they can both survive. about this family as he describes his father as a "damaging man". Even in the most difficult circumstances, Skip sees Billy as a father figure, which gives him a sense of security. They both try to find a strategy so they can both survive.
Chapter 4:
Colours seem to resemble meaning in this novel. " Red is brave,loud & fast and sometimes dangerous or angry" whilst Black is soft, slow, silent and sad, but it can be angry too". Skip finds meaning in everything. Skip sees he world was red and black which in his outlook on life means war. Skip needs Billy, because he gives him a sense of ultimate security. He seems to have loved his father at certain youthful times in his life, but then life turned aroun..."when I was a little kid, when I had a father , before he let the ghosts get him". I have noticed that as the story progresses more colours are introduced and resemble meaning ( Yellow is the colour of happiness & kindness ). The chapter ends with Skip saying that Billy's heart was no colour and every colour. Like water of diamonds or crystals. He could see straight through Billy and he resembled everything. He was pure. Now, Skip had someone to confide in.
Chapter 5:
In this chapter, I have started to form the morals and hidden messages and have found the layers beneath the text itself. We can see that a "form of war" is happening and that Skip fears the dark side,because he's been through dark times. He wants to distance himself away from political games and violence. Also, as the reader I noticed the effect of being homeless. Skip and Billy are getting food from rubbish bins and every day they wake up , not knowing where they will sleep at night. I see that hope is what keeps them alive. Ultimately, even though everything around them is corrupt or damaged, Billy and Skip holds a fragile bond which essentially keeps them surviving.
Chapter 6:
In this chapter, We begin to see Skip as a mature character, rather than a young boy. As Billy goes off to find food, Skip has to look after 6 year old Max. He wants Max to feel safe even though there surroundings are warlike. Max wants his Mother and he wants to feel secure. Skip doesnt know when this war is going to end. At night, Max starts screaming. He had a nightmare and was scared. I think this shows how tough it can be for young people to be homeless or not to have parents. They are constantly afraid of the world. The chapter ends as Skip says, " I didn't want Max to be like me, always looking and never finding." I think this refers to Skips life and how he always searches, yet he never finds what he was searching for. Ultimately, we see the terror that occurs in these Character's lives , moreover, the importance of having loved ones around you in difficult times.
Chapter 7:
In this chapter, the intensity,worries,hunger and freedom haunts the characters. I think that war is something we often disregard in Australia especially. Yes, there is the Middle East conflict and so on, but we have not really experienced the true feeling of not knowing where to go and having the chance of dying every second. For Skip, Billy and Max it is a continual cycle of loneliness and hope. Max is 6 years old and has to accept that his Mother is likely not to return. Can you imagine being heartbroken like that? Can you imagine being in Skips or Billy's position where you have to confront a 6 year old?. Also, I think symbols of war are cleverly shown in this novel. For example, People stealing from shops or lying about their identity (when "Albert Park" was a suburb, not his name- reference , Page 78) is a common thread related to war. Ultimately, in this chapter I felt a strong sense of empathy for these characters. Just like Skip in this chapter, personally I find it difficult to hide my fears in order to make someone else feel as if they have nothing to worry about ( such as Max and Skip). It's hard to be in a situation, where you have to hide your true fears and feelings. Hence, this shows the bravery of Skip and how he has becomes a stronger person over time.
Chapter 8:
In this chapter, I got to see how the character's hold on dear to their happiness they encounter despite the war they surround. Skip, Billy and Max make there way to a place called "Dreamland". I think Glenda Millard wanted to symbolise the idea of people in war , always ,looking towards a utopia future. The idea of hope. This chapters depicts how happy times can swiftly be shuffled to dark times in an instant, however, its the happy times that will always be remembered. I noticed a bond between the 3 protagonists. Billy is like the "father figure", the one who is the main provider of food etc. Skip is the "care giver for Max and Billys friend". It's amazing to see how such a wide variety of ages can still all form a lifetime friendship. Skip worries if Billy will stay as Billy is like a sense of security, which without, would feel unsafe. Ultimately, this chapter highlights a bright moment in these character's lives and the triple friendship that helps them survive.
Chapter 9:
In this chapter, A rollercoaster of emotions occur.Skip decides to give Max and Billy "a perfect day" because he wants them to always be together. The sky is described " was as grey as a pigeon's back", however, " Billys voice was smooth and yellow and peaceful". The idea is that Billy holds his sense of safety, which without Skip would feel unsafe. During the perfect day that Skip plans, they eat food and enjoy their freedom by splashing in the water. Then reality hits, and the storm occurs , so the boys have to pack up their bags and head to Dreamland ( their isolated shelter). The idea again is that even in joyus times, reality will hit. As a result, Max decides he wants to go home. Who wouldn't want too? . This leads to Skip feeling "stupid" for not realising that Billy and Max both belonged to someone else. I guess it upset him that he didn't have anyone loving apart from them in his life. Skip is proved wrong when Billy calls him to come with them. Towards the end of the chapter, a girl with a baby is walking ( which is rare in their surroundings). The coat that the girl was wearing reminded Skip on a child hood story. He referred it to a story similar to Little Red Riding hood, ultimately implying that he was afraid she would be not safe.
Chapter 10:
In this chapter, the girl with the red coat comes back again. Also, Max's mother is described as a 'missing person'. And Billy,Skip and Max go to a run down isolated supermarket to collect food. Millard goes back to Skip's childhood and she describes Skip being forced by some boy in his year to say something he didnt even want to say. From this, we can gather that Skip was bullied at school. During this chapter, Max questions Billy's morals as he asks him why is he going into someone else's backyard. Max seems to be scared and he doesn't understand how war is war. I dont really know a lot about the girl with the red coat, however Skip describes her as having "eyes like pansies" and "skin like the moon". Sharing is a concept that is explored in this chapter. The girl's baby needs milk so the boys kindly give her milk. This novel constantly uses colours to symbolise feelings, inner and outer emotions and apperenace. Red is described as danger. Isn't is ironic that red can also represent love?
Chapter 11:
This chapter was really pivotal as it showed the overcoming of fear, meaning in the most simplest ways, living homeless and friendship. In this chapter, the girl with the baby returns. I connect with her in the way that sometimes you fear things because you want to protect yourself. In this instance, the girl didnt know whether to trust Billy or not. Skip assures her that Billy is like their father and best friend. This girl clearly has gone through difficult times as she has scars on her wrist. She has not talked about her past yet but I feel she will eventually open up. Her means of feeling comfort is through dancing. Skip is mesmerized. Sadness touched me in this chapter because I felt the character's emotions. It was like Millard was able to capture the reader and hook them into the character's lives. Ultimately, I thoroughly enjoyed this chapter.
Currently reading
November 23, 2015The book immediately captured my attention, straight from the prologue. Rather than an explanation, the prologue in this book sets an interesting scene of four very different people at a funfair. It has an air of mystery and pulls the reader in, making you want to find out what brought these individuals together and what their stories are.
Chapter 1:
The first character we are introduced to is Skip. Skip is portrayed as an unusual character and definitely not the average schoolboy. After referring to his family as his "pretend family" and leaving other subtle hints on the matter, it becomes evident that Skip's father was not assuming his responsibilities as a father since Skip's mother "left". It isn't revealed yet whether she died or simply left however after saying, "the kind of smile you'd give your mother if she came back for you" I think that she left Skip when he was younger. This may be where Skip's flight instinct come from as in just the first chapter he has decided to run away! We are then introduced to Billy, an old man who Skip meets on the streets shortly after running way.
Chapter 2:
In this chapter we see Billy and Skip's relationship develop as they form a kind of friendship. Skip follows Billy to a refuge and although he is not old enough Billy lets him spend the night. After that night Skip goes out on his own, however he often sees Billy on the streets. About a month later Billy reveals to Skip that there was an "incident" and he moved out of the refuge. Three months later we are introduced to Archie, a footpath sweeper, who sees Skip's drawing on the footpath and agrees that he will be a great artist one day. Billy and Skip now sleep in the same places together and it is revealed that Skip is nearly twelve years old.
Chapter 3:
Skip and Billy start going to the library to look at the art books in hope that it will educate Skip and at the library they meet a woman who works there named Michaela. Skip thinks she is beautiful and kind however, Billy warns him that she is a "do-gooder". He explains that "do-gooders" have good intentions and just want to help you, however they usually don't know how. Skip wants to continue going to the library regardless although Billy doesn't want her to find out he is homeless so he says that Skip is his grandson. Skip reveals that he has only ever been looked after by his mother (who he doesn't remember) and his father who he says is "damaged". When Billy holds Skip's hand in the chapter it is a turning point in their relationship. They have gone from companions to Billy taking on a fatherly/grandfatherly role. Billy is now helping Skip hide in a refuge for grown men and Skip reveals at the end of the chapter that he hadn't known that the day in the library was the last time he would ever see Michaela...
Chapter 4:
Skip wakes up in the refuge to complete pandemonium. He quickly leaves his hiding place and is confronted with sirens and planes in the sky dropping bombs. There are fires and dead bodies everywhere and Skip runs straight through it all to reach Billy's room. He finds a bloody, broken figure wearing Billy's coat on one of the beds and thinking that it was Billy who died he draws pictures next to the body as a memorial. He eventually leaves and then gets chased by a man, who once he catches him is revealed as Billy. Billy had leant his coat to someone else the night before and it was him who was dead. The chapter ends with Billy hugging Skip and saying "I thought I lost you".
Chapter 5:
Billy and Skip leave the refuge and see dead bodies and debris everywhere. While walking around they encounter a soldier who holds two fingers up in a gesture that suggests he wants to shoot them, however he lets them continue walking nonetheless, leaving Skip confused as to whose side the soldier was on. They go to the arcade where they find a group of homeless people and some food, which they eat and then head towards the library. In the library they come across a little boy lying on the floor. His name is Max and he is only six years old and he is waiting for his mother who told him she would be back. Billy, Skip and Max build a "bunker" in the library and go to sleep.
Chapter 6:
Billy, Skip and Max wake up the next morning and Max's mother still isn't there. Skip silently prays that she doesn't return so that the three of them can stay together but by the end of the chapter he reverses his prayer in hopes that she will return. He to the reader that he knows what it's like to always be searching for your mother because his left him when he was much younger.
Chapter 7:
Max's mother still hasn't returned and Skip thinks to himself, "Max thought about his mother the way other people think about the sun; because it was there yesterday, it would shine again tomorrow." Was this how Skip felt before his mother left? This is also incredibly relevant in our lives because people often think things will last forever until they are gone. In this chapter Skip, Billy and Max leave the library in search of another place to stay because buildings are constantly being bombed and the library is no longer safe. Skip again mentions "The Army of the Third Side": "The Army of the Third Side, unarmed because we didn't believe in war." This is a sad reality about war. There are often people caught in the middle who want nothing but peace, yet they are the ones who suffer the most.
Chapter 8:
Skip, Billy and Max are on their way to Dreamland when Skip starts wondering to himself if Billy made a mistake in directions yet he "didn't dare say anything to Billy". I think this is because Skip trusts Billy like a parent and it shows how blindly he is following him. Whenever Max got bored or irritable on the long journey, Skip would act like an older brother and try to distract him: "Let's sing something". This is something I would do with my brothers on really long car rides if we got bored and it shows how the three of them are starting to form a family. In this chapter the reader really gets a good incite into how much the war is affecting people. When Billy, Skip and Max forgot about it they dropped their guard and were able to laugh and have fun, however after they left their new safe haven, the funfair, they were back to the reality of war. This was interesting to read about as I have never personally experienced anything like this.
Chapter 9:
Skip wakes up and decides that he wants to give Billy and Max "one perfect day". He was doing this in hope that it "would be enough to keep us together". I think it is sad that Skip still feels as though he needs to convince Billy and Max to stay with him because he is afraid of being alone again. After the "perfect day" Skip asks Max what he wants to do tomorrow to which Max replies, "I think I'd like to go home". This must make Skip frightened as the common theme throughout the book has been about the three of them becoming a family and forming that relationship, however Max just wants to go home. What would happen to Skip then? Would he stay with Billy or be left on his own? At the end of the chapter Skip, Billy and Max see a girl at the funfair described as a "ballerina". She has a baby with her, however Skip thinks that she looks to young to have a baby, which makes me wonder if the baby is hers?
Chapter 10:
While Billy is peeling an orange, Skip recalls a time in his childhood when he and his father used to have competitions using Minties wrappers. "We used to see who could tear the paper into the longest strip without breaking it." This seems like it was a happy memory from Skip's childhood with his father, which shows just how much his father being unable to take care of him would have effected him. Later in the chapter Billy states that he "never had anything before this all started'. By "this" I assume he is referring to the relationship between himself, Max and Skip, proving that, similarly to Skip, the small family they have created is all he has. Skip, Billy and Max have their first interaction with the girl with the baby at the funfair. They share their food with her, however she is still reluctant and will not talk to them. I wonder what has happened to the girl to make her so untrusting towards people?
Chapter 11:
Max and Skip go to the girl and her baby and offer her some soup. They have a brief conversation, the girl finally trusting them to enough to talk to, however at the question, "Are you the baby's mother?" the girl shuts down and ignores them again. This makes me especially curious whether the girl is the babies mother and if not then what the connection is. In the middle of the night Skip hears music coming from outside and after going to see what it was he realised that it was the girl and she was dancing. He describes her dancing as "like light on water", reiterating how beautiful it was and how he had never seen anything like it. The ballerina sees Skip and allows him to touch the baby's hand and then he also sees that she has scars on her wrist. I wonder how she got the scars and I am incredibly curious about her story. After Skip tells her that Billy won't hurt her and he is "like the mother and the father of Max and me and he's our best friend", she takes her baby and allows Skip to lead the way to Billy and Max. Could the ballerina and her baby become new members of their makeshift family?
Chapter 12:
The chapter has immediately fast forwarded and Skip informs the reader that the girl's name is Tia, however because she still won't tell them what her baby's name is, the three guys refer to her as Sixpence (the name of the nursery rhyme that Billy always sang to her). She even trusts them enough to leave Sixpence with them when she goes off by herself. Skip feels worried he will make a mistake with the baby, however from the way the chapter starts off, it is evident that they have already added Tia and Sixpence to their group. At the revelation that peacekeepers were being sent in Skip immediately asks if the war's over and he thinks: "A thousand thoughts about what this would mean for us waited for me to pay them attention". This shows how the thought of them splitting up is always at the forefront of Skip's mind.
Chapter 13:
Skip has gotten Max into drawing, which makes me think of them as brothers because often when my brother or I have a hobby, my youngest brother also picks up on it later. However, none of Max's drawings had faces "they all had machine guns". "It was the same with the sounds of war. They'd become normal". Unfortunately in this chapter we see that Skip, Billy, Max, Tia and Sixpence have all gotten used to the war and see it as a part of their everyday lives. Billy also reveals that the Red Cross have got their list of missing persons up, to which Skip thinks to himself that "Giving Max back to his mother was going to be one of the most difficult things I'd ever done". This just reiterates how close they have become in this short amount of time and the chapter concludes with Skip thinking, "I had to keep us all safe". He has a strong sense of responsibility and protectiveness over his small group.
Chapter 14:
Skip wakes up early and goes to the chemist to gather supplies. He is dragged out of the chemist by two teenage boys who ask, "Watcha doin' on our turf?". This makes me wonder if the boys are actually soldiers because Skip describes them as teenagers. What do they mean by "our turf"? Are they the enemies or just civilians trying to stay alive like Skip and his group? Skip gets hurt by the boys and they burn his book. He returns to the funfair and thinks to himself, "But, if it meant keeping my friends safe, I knew I'd watch while every single one of my books got burned". Skip's books mean the world to him so the fact that he was willing to make that sacrifice for Billy, Max, Tia and Sixpence shows how much he cares about them.
Chapter 15:
"I never told him about all the foster families, the beltings, the bullying and the loneliness." Just reading this sentence made me feel incredibly terrible for Skip. He keeps all of this inside of him and clearly has abandonment issues because of his past, which explains why he has a meltdown when Billy tells him that he shouldn't come when Billy takes Max back. "Liar! ... You don't want me around". Skip automatically comes to the conclusion that Billy must want to get rid of him, which leads Billy to reveal that he once had a son that Skip reminded him of. This is a huge step forward in their relationship because Billy had never told Skip anything about his past before.
Chapter 16:
In this chapter Skip, Billy, Max, Tia and Sixpence have a feast the night before they are going to take Max home. Tia and Skip break the wishbone of the chicken and make a wish, which reminds me of how I used to do that exact thing with my grandpa. At the end of the night Skip draws a circle in the sand and asks Max to stand in it with him, calling it the "Circle of Brotherhood". He says, "even when we are far away from each other we will still be brothers". This is the first time Skip has outright given Max the label of his brother and it is clear that a strong relationship has been formed.
Chapter 1:
The first character we are introduced to is Skip. Skip is portrayed as an unusual character and definitely not the average schoolboy. After referring to his family as his "pretend family" and leaving other subtle hints on the matter, it becomes evident that Skip's father was not assuming his responsibilities as a father since Skip's mother "left". It isn't revealed yet whether she died or simply left however after saying, "the kind of smile you'd give your mother if she came back for you" I think that she left Skip when he was younger. This may be where Skip's flight instinct come from as in just the first chapter he has decided to run away! We are then introduced to Billy, an old man who Skip meets on the streets shortly after running way.
Chapter 2:
In this chapter we see Billy and Skip's relationship develop as they form a kind of friendship. Skip follows Billy to a refuge and although he is not old enough Billy lets him spend the night. After that night Skip goes out on his own, however he often sees Billy on the streets. About a month later Billy reveals to Skip that there was an "incident" and he moved out of the refuge. Three months later we are introduced to Archie, a footpath sweeper, who sees Skip's drawing on the footpath and agrees that he will be a great artist one day. Billy and Skip now sleep in the same places together and it is revealed that Skip is nearly twelve years old.
Chapter 3:
Skip and Billy start going to the library to look at the art books in hope that it will educate Skip and at the library they meet a woman who works there named Michaela. Skip thinks she is beautiful and kind however, Billy warns him that she is a "do-gooder". He explains that "do-gooders" have good intentions and just want to help you, however they usually don't know how. Skip wants to continue going to the library regardless although Billy doesn't want her to find out he is homeless so he says that Skip is his grandson. Skip reveals that he has only ever been looked after by his mother (who he doesn't remember) and his father who he says is "damaged". When Billy holds Skip's hand in the chapter it is a turning point in their relationship. They have gone from companions to Billy taking on a fatherly/grandfatherly role. Billy is now helping Skip hide in a refuge for grown men and Skip reveals at the end of the chapter that he hadn't known that the day in the library was the last time he would ever see Michaela...
Chapter 4:
Skip wakes up in the refuge to complete pandemonium. He quickly leaves his hiding place and is confronted with sirens and planes in the sky dropping bombs. There are fires and dead bodies everywhere and Skip runs straight through it all to reach Billy's room. He finds a bloody, broken figure wearing Billy's coat on one of the beds and thinking that it was Billy who died he draws pictures next to the body as a memorial. He eventually leaves and then gets chased by a man, who once he catches him is revealed as Billy. Billy had leant his coat to someone else the night before and it was him who was dead. The chapter ends with Billy hugging Skip and saying "I thought I lost you".
Chapter 5:
Billy and Skip leave the refuge and see dead bodies and debris everywhere. While walking around they encounter a soldier who holds two fingers up in a gesture that suggests he wants to shoot them, however he lets them continue walking nonetheless, leaving Skip confused as to whose side the soldier was on. They go to the arcade where they find a group of homeless people and some food, which they eat and then head towards the library. In the library they come across a little boy lying on the floor. His name is Max and he is only six years old and he is waiting for his mother who told him she would be back. Billy, Skip and Max build a "bunker" in the library and go to sleep.
Chapter 6:
Billy, Skip and Max wake up the next morning and Max's mother still isn't there. Skip silently prays that she doesn't return so that the three of them can stay together but by the end of the chapter he reverses his prayer in hopes that she will return. He to the reader that he knows what it's like to always be searching for your mother because his left him when he was much younger.
Chapter 7:
Max's mother still hasn't returned and Skip thinks to himself, "Max thought about his mother the way other people think about the sun; because it was there yesterday, it would shine again tomorrow." Was this how Skip felt before his mother left? This is also incredibly relevant in our lives because people often think things will last forever until they are gone. In this chapter Skip, Billy and Max leave the library in search of another place to stay because buildings are constantly being bombed and the library is no longer safe. Skip again mentions "The Army of the Third Side": "The Army of the Third Side, unarmed because we didn't believe in war." This is a sad reality about war. There are often people caught in the middle who want nothing but peace, yet they are the ones who suffer the most.
Chapter 8:
Skip, Billy and Max are on their way to Dreamland when Skip starts wondering to himself if Billy made a mistake in directions yet he "didn't dare say anything to Billy". I think this is because Skip trusts Billy like a parent and it shows how blindly he is following him. Whenever Max got bored or irritable on the long journey, Skip would act like an older brother and try to distract him: "Let's sing something". This is something I would do with my brothers on really long car rides if we got bored and it shows how the three of them are starting to form a family. In this chapter the reader really gets a good incite into how much the war is affecting people. When Billy, Skip and Max forgot about it they dropped their guard and were able to laugh and have fun, however after they left their new safe haven, the funfair, they were back to the reality of war. This was interesting to read about as I have never personally experienced anything like this.
Chapter 9:
Skip wakes up and decides that he wants to give Billy and Max "one perfect day". He was doing this in hope that it "would be enough to keep us together". I think it is sad that Skip still feels as though he needs to convince Billy and Max to stay with him because he is afraid of being alone again. After the "perfect day" Skip asks Max what he wants to do tomorrow to which Max replies, "I think I'd like to go home". This must make Skip frightened as the common theme throughout the book has been about the three of them becoming a family and forming that relationship, however Max just wants to go home. What would happen to Skip then? Would he stay with Billy or be left on his own? At the end of the chapter Skip, Billy and Max see a girl at the funfair described as a "ballerina". She has a baby with her, however Skip thinks that she looks to young to have a baby, which makes me wonder if the baby is hers?
Chapter 10:
While Billy is peeling an orange, Skip recalls a time in his childhood when he and his father used to have competitions using Minties wrappers. "We used to see who could tear the paper into the longest strip without breaking it." This seems like it was a happy memory from Skip's childhood with his father, which shows just how much his father being unable to take care of him would have effected him. Later in the chapter Billy states that he "never had anything before this all started'. By "this" I assume he is referring to the relationship between himself, Max and Skip, proving that, similarly to Skip, the small family they have created is all he has. Skip, Billy and Max have their first interaction with the girl with the baby at the funfair. They share their food with her, however she is still reluctant and will not talk to them. I wonder what has happened to the girl to make her so untrusting towards people?
Chapter 11:
Max and Skip go to the girl and her baby and offer her some soup. They have a brief conversation, the girl finally trusting them to enough to talk to, however at the question, "Are you the baby's mother?" the girl shuts down and ignores them again. This makes me especially curious whether the girl is the babies mother and if not then what the connection is. In the middle of the night Skip hears music coming from outside and after going to see what it was he realised that it was the girl and she was dancing. He describes her dancing as "like light on water", reiterating how beautiful it was and how he had never seen anything like it. The ballerina sees Skip and allows him to touch the baby's hand and then he also sees that she has scars on her wrist. I wonder how she got the scars and I am incredibly curious about her story. After Skip tells her that Billy won't hurt her and he is "like the mother and the father of Max and me and he's our best friend", she takes her baby and allows Skip to lead the way to Billy and Max. Could the ballerina and her baby become new members of their makeshift family?
Chapter 12:
The chapter has immediately fast forwarded and Skip informs the reader that the girl's name is Tia, however because she still won't tell them what her baby's name is, the three guys refer to her as Sixpence (the name of the nursery rhyme that Billy always sang to her). She even trusts them enough to leave Sixpence with them when she goes off by herself. Skip feels worried he will make a mistake with the baby, however from the way the chapter starts off, it is evident that they have already added Tia and Sixpence to their group. At the revelation that peacekeepers were being sent in Skip immediately asks if the war's over and he thinks: "A thousand thoughts about what this would mean for us waited for me to pay them attention". This shows how the thought of them splitting up is always at the forefront of Skip's mind.
Chapter 13:
Skip has gotten Max into drawing, which makes me think of them as brothers because often when my brother or I have a hobby, my youngest brother also picks up on it later. However, none of Max's drawings had faces "they all had machine guns". "It was the same with the sounds of war. They'd become normal". Unfortunately in this chapter we see that Skip, Billy, Max, Tia and Sixpence have all gotten used to the war and see it as a part of their everyday lives. Billy also reveals that the Red Cross have got their list of missing persons up, to which Skip thinks to himself that "Giving Max back to his mother was going to be one of the most difficult things I'd ever done". This just reiterates how close they have become in this short amount of time and the chapter concludes with Skip thinking, "I had to keep us all safe". He has a strong sense of responsibility and protectiveness over his small group.
Chapter 14:
Skip wakes up early and goes to the chemist to gather supplies. He is dragged out of the chemist by two teenage boys who ask, "Watcha doin' on our turf?". This makes me wonder if the boys are actually soldiers because Skip describes them as teenagers. What do they mean by "our turf"? Are they the enemies or just civilians trying to stay alive like Skip and his group? Skip gets hurt by the boys and they burn his book. He returns to the funfair and thinks to himself, "But, if it meant keeping my friends safe, I knew I'd watch while every single one of my books got burned". Skip's books mean the world to him so the fact that he was willing to make that sacrifice for Billy, Max, Tia and Sixpence shows how much he cares about them.
Chapter 15:
"I never told him about all the foster families, the beltings, the bullying and the loneliness." Just reading this sentence made me feel incredibly terrible for Skip. He keeps all of this inside of him and clearly has abandonment issues because of his past, which explains why he has a meltdown when Billy tells him that he shouldn't come when Billy takes Max back. "Liar! ... You don't want me around". Skip automatically comes to the conclusion that Billy must want to get rid of him, which leads Billy to reveal that he once had a son that Skip reminded him of. This is a huge step forward in their relationship because Billy had never told Skip anything about his past before.
Chapter 16:
In this chapter Skip, Billy, Max, Tia and Sixpence have a feast the night before they are going to take Max home. Tia and Skip break the wishbone of the chicken and make a wish, which reminds me of how I used to do that exact thing with my grandpa. At the end of the night Skip draws a circle in the sand and asks Max to stand in it with him, calling it the "Circle of Brotherhood". He says, "even when we are far away from each other we will still be brothers". This is the first time Skip has outright given Max the label of his brother and it is clear that a strong relationship has been formed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
April 24, 2020Who loves going to Six Flags Great America?
Who loves it so much you wish you could go there every day?
Who loves it so much you wish you could live there?
Well, listen to this book ...
The main character of this book has been in seven schools in three years, and he's lived in just about as many foster homes. So when he decides to run away for the last time, he choose a new name for himself. Now called Skip, he takes off for the city. He takes one thing with him: his father's coat, or what is left of it after his latest foster family tried to burn it, "to help him move on," so they said. A homeless man named Billy becomes his first friend, and soon Skip feels pretty acclimated to life on the streets.
Until ...
Read p. 30: "The world was full of screaming people ... clouds of smoke and dust and darkness made it hard to find my way."
So now there is a war on, and Skip and Billy find Max, a young boy hiding in the rubble of what used to be the public library, waiting for his mother. "Mummy said I mustn't go outside until she gets here," the little boy said, although Skip and Billy both know that Max's mother is not coming to get him. The trio keeps moving, looking for a safe place to stay and a place where there might be some food. They decide to take shelter at the local amusement park, ironically called Dreamland.
Read prologue: "An amusement park isn't the kind of place you'd expect to find a ballerina .. especially when there is a war going on."
Who loves it so much you wish you could go there every day?
Who loves it so much you wish you could live there?
Well, listen to this book ...
The main character of this book has been in seven schools in three years, and he's lived in just about as many foster homes. So when he decides to run away for the last time, he choose a new name for himself. Now called Skip, he takes off for the city. He takes one thing with him: his father's coat, or what is left of it after his latest foster family tried to burn it, "to help him move on," so they said. A homeless man named Billy becomes his first friend, and soon Skip feels pretty acclimated to life on the streets.
Until ...
Read p. 30: "The world was full of screaming people ... clouds of smoke and dust and darkness made it hard to find my way."
So now there is a war on, and Skip and Billy find Max, a young boy hiding in the rubble of what used to be the public library, waiting for his mother. "Mummy said I mustn't go outside until she gets here," the little boy said, although Skip and Billy both know that Max's mother is not coming to get him. The trio keeps moving, looking for a safe place to stay and a place where there might be some food. They decide to take shelter at the local amusement park, ironically called Dreamland.
Read prologue: "An amusement park isn't the kind of place you'd expect to find a ballerina .. especially when there is a war going on."
June 22, 2018
The book was so melancholy. The young narrator, Skip, had a certain aura of innocence that made the story so much more heart-wrenching. He went through a tough childhood and learnt to love Max, a six-year-old boy found in the library and the Tia, Red coated young ballerina. The frequent allusions and mentions of the artworks, artists, art-making practice and elements in art gave the book so much more character. His story, however sad, was absolutely beautiful.
I loved the third party in the war, the people who didn't believe in war or fighting. This novel sent an incredibly powerful message about how war impacts lives of people, not just adults but seniors, minors and mere children. Each chapter was just so saddening to read, yet I needed to know whether this sorrowful tale had a more fortunate ending and despite the fact that Tia died and the war was still going on, I have no doubt Skipper, Billy and Max got their happily ever after.
I loved the third party in the war, the people who didn't believe in war or fighting. This novel sent an incredibly powerful message about how war impacts lives of people, not just adults but seniors, minors and mere children. Each chapter was just so saddening to read, yet I needed to know whether this sorrowful tale had a more fortunate ending and despite the fact that Tia died and the war was still going on, I have no doubt Skipper, Billy and Max got their happily ever after.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 14, 2019
This book was okay but I mostly just read it because I wanted to read all the books I owned. It is the story of a young homeless boy who lives in a war zone. The story is about friendship, however, I felt as though the writing style did not give a deep feeling of love. Although this was writing in the perspective of the young boy, I feel as though there could have been more depth and character building.
November 14, 2021
Youg adult end of the world - main character has a pretty dismal life, homeless very young and struggling to survive on the streets - before the city in which he lives is attacked. Convincing, real, captures bleakness and danger at the same time it develops relationships between the young main character and those he comes into contact with. The ending is convincing - can't say much because it will give things away, suffice to say there is no cop out, and no ending ....
April 19, 2022
Skip meets Billy while sleeping rough after running away from his foster home. When war breaks out, they find orphaned six-year-old Max and they walk out of the city together to find a safe place to live. Their choice is an abandoned theme park where they meet 15-year old Tia and her baby, and together they find the courage and resilience to survive a war. This is a heart wrenching and captivating.
April 20, 2017
I was so disappointed to have this book finish only 15 minutes into the last disc. I will miss getting into the car to continue the story of Skip and Max, Billy, Tia and Sixpence. It was sad, it was joyful and it was lyrical, and I really appreciated the Australian language and context. I'll take a new look at Glenda Millard's other books in our library now.
June 19, 2021
i read it for school and while i enjoyed the thought of it it just felt too short. i read it in less than half a day and just found no connection or feelings towards the characters or any of it. The way that the 'ballerina and the baby' (sixpence and tia) were introduced just felt oddly placed, aswell as how the whole war was introduced.
May 6, 2018
Absolute top notch writing. I fell in love with every character. And all the while I felt as if I were surviving alongside them; salvaging beauty in a world of destruction.
November 20, 2019
This book was so easy to read and held my interest. I read it in two sessions. I loved the way the author described the characters, and made them come to life.
August 24, 2023
This has been on my TBR since January of 2015 and for the life of me I cannot remember why I would have put it there, why I thought I might like it, or why I just left it there for eight years.
May 19, 2025
SO BORING. I had to read this for english and it's horrible. Don't waste your time.
August 22, 2018
i loved this book. it's beautifully bittersweet
May 17, 2011
I hardly know how to find the right words to review A Small Free Kiss in the Dark by Glenda Millard. It's a really sweet book and the main character's voice is one that pulled me into the story from the very beginning. Once I started the story, I couldn't put it down and I found myself feeling all sorts of different emotions that I didn't know how to deal with. It's that sort of book. But in a good way of course.
Skip is homeless. He had a home but it wasn't very good, so he left it. Despite the rough life that it's hinted at that he has led so far and despite the hardships Skip has had as a homeless boy, he still maintains this wonderful and innocent view of life. His passion is drawing with chalk on the pavements around him - he sees the world around with such exquisite detail.
Skip seems drawn to another homeless person, Billy. And when disaster strikes and the city is falling apart under air strikes, the Skip and Billy band together. Joining them is a little boy, Max who has lost his mother. They think it best to leave the city and they end up in an abandoned fairground. Joining their little group are a beautiful teenage dancer, Tia and her baby. As a group, they search for food and supplies for the baby and find the best ways to make it through the war.
It should be quite a grim story so far. A homeless man and two young boys struggling to survive while the world falls apart around them - but it isn't. There's passion in the characters, Billy's music, Skip's artwork, Tia's dancing. The strong bonds and relationships between each of the characters - especially Skip and Billy, and Skip and Max. Though all are strangers at first, there is such generosity and kindness between them all. What is most surprising, is how Skip seems to be almost overjoyed at this new situation he is in, as it's everything he's always wanted - a place to belong with his strange, new rag-tag family. I also really loved the juxtaposition of a world torn apart, and our characters living in a theme park.
I think what A Small Free Kiss in the Dark does really well is show how even in times of crisis and despair, there is still hope and friendship and kindness and family. Beautiful little book, one well worth reading!
Visit my blog to read an interview with the author, Glenda Millard: www.flutteringbutterflies.com
Skip is homeless. He had a home but it wasn't very good, so he left it. Despite the rough life that it's hinted at that he has led so far and despite the hardships Skip has had as a homeless boy, he still maintains this wonderful and innocent view of life. His passion is drawing with chalk on the pavements around him - he sees the world around with such exquisite detail.
Skip seems drawn to another homeless person, Billy. And when disaster strikes and the city is falling apart under air strikes, the Skip and Billy band together. Joining them is a little boy, Max who has lost his mother. They think it best to leave the city and they end up in an abandoned fairground. Joining their little group are a beautiful teenage dancer, Tia and her baby. As a group, they search for food and supplies for the baby and find the best ways to make it through the war.
It should be quite a grim story so far. A homeless man and two young boys struggling to survive while the world falls apart around them - but it isn't. There's passion in the characters, Billy's music, Skip's artwork, Tia's dancing. The strong bonds and relationships between each of the characters - especially Skip and Billy, and Skip and Max. Though all are strangers at first, there is such generosity and kindness between them all. What is most surprising, is how Skip seems to be almost overjoyed at this new situation he is in, as it's everything he's always wanted - a place to belong with his strange, new rag-tag family. I also really loved the juxtaposition of a world torn apart, and our characters living in a theme park.
I think what A Small Free Kiss in the Dark does really well is show how even in times of crisis and despair, there is still hope and friendship and kindness and family. Beautiful little book, one well worth reading!
Visit my blog to read an interview with the author, Glenda Millard: www.flutteringbutterflies.com
February 23, 2012
Reading Level: Grades 7+
When you’re a homeless eleven year-old named Skip, there isn’t anywhere for you to go, because all the shelters are either for women with children, or for men, which you aren’t. When you’re homeless, a runaway, you never sleep in the same place twice, otherwise someone might be able to figure out where you are and take you back to where you ran away from.
Skip is asleep in a Dumpster when the bombs begin to fall. He wakes up violently, ears ringing, dust and garbage in his mouth, chunks of concrete raining down on top of his exhausted body, Dumpster rolling from the concussion of the blast. Skip doesn’t know which way is up, but he crawls out of the Dumpster and runs. Skip runs and runs, looking for someone or something familiar, and then he sees the grizzled face of his friend Billy.
In the days after the war begins, Billy and Skip rattle around the broken city, searching for food, for shelter. One day, they find a six year-old boy named Max who has lost his mother. Another day, they follow the train tracks out of the city to Dreamland, an abandoned amusement park that becomes their home. As soldiers begin to move in, Skip, Billy and Max find it harder to hide themselves, especially with the addition of the dancing teenage mother Tia and her infant daughter Sixpence to their ragtag gang.
It is Billy’s knowledge, Max’s unfettered optimism and hope, Skip’s determination, Tia’s beauty, and Sixpence’s innocence that brings them together. In A Small Free Kiss in the Dark, Glenda Millard has created a fragile world with delicate characters; a world that, as you read into it more, unconsciously pulls your blanket tighter around you and curls your legs up close to your body. This book is not one to read lightly, nor is it one to miss.
A few read-alikes:
Smack by Melvin Burgess
Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden
The Girl Who Owned a City by O.T. Nelson
Z for Zachariah by Robert C. O'Brien
No and Me by Delphine de Vigan
For more book reviews from the HPPL Youth Department, click here.
When you’re a homeless eleven year-old named Skip, there isn’t anywhere for you to go, because all the shelters are either for women with children, or for men, which you aren’t. When you’re homeless, a runaway, you never sleep in the same place twice, otherwise someone might be able to figure out where you are and take you back to where you ran away from.
Skip is asleep in a Dumpster when the bombs begin to fall. He wakes up violently, ears ringing, dust and garbage in his mouth, chunks of concrete raining down on top of his exhausted body, Dumpster rolling from the concussion of the blast. Skip doesn’t know which way is up, but he crawls out of the Dumpster and runs. Skip runs and runs, looking for someone or something familiar, and then he sees the grizzled face of his friend Billy.
In the days after the war begins, Billy and Skip rattle around the broken city, searching for food, for shelter. One day, they find a six year-old boy named Max who has lost his mother. Another day, they follow the train tracks out of the city to Dreamland, an abandoned amusement park that becomes their home. As soldiers begin to move in, Skip, Billy and Max find it harder to hide themselves, especially with the addition of the dancing teenage mother Tia and her infant daughter Sixpence to their ragtag gang.
It is Billy’s knowledge, Max’s unfettered optimism and hope, Skip’s determination, Tia’s beauty, and Sixpence’s innocence that brings them together. In A Small Free Kiss in the Dark, Glenda Millard has created a fragile world with delicate characters; a world that, as you read into it more, unconsciously pulls your blanket tighter around you and curls your legs up close to your body. This book is not one to read lightly, nor is it one to miss.
A few read-alikes:
Smack by Melvin Burgess
Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden
The Girl Who Owned a City by O.T. Nelson
Z for Zachariah by Robert C. O'Brien
No and Me by Delphine de Vigan
For more book reviews from the HPPL Youth Department, click here.
March 29, 2011
When you’re a homeless eleven year-old named Skip, there isn’t anywhere for you to go, because all the shelters are either for women with children, or for men, which you aren’t. When you’re homeless, a runaway, you never sleep in the same place twice, otherwise someone might be able to figure out where you are and take you back to where you ran away from.
Skip is asleep in a Dumpster when the bombs begin to fall. He wakes up violently, ears ringing, dust and garbage in his mouth, chunks of concrete raining down on top of his exhausted body, Dumpster rolling from the concussion of the blast. Skip doesn’t know which way is up, but he crawls out of the Dumpster and runs. Skip runs and runs, looking for someone or something familiar, and then he sees the grizzled face of his friend Billy.
In the days after the war begins, Billy and Skip rattle around the broken city, searching for food, for shelter. One day, they find a six year-old boy named Max who has lost his mother. Another day, they follow the train tracks out of the city to Dreamland, an abandoned amusement park that becomes their home. As soldiers begin to move in, Skip, Billy and Max find it harder to hide themselves, especially with the addition of the dancing teenage mother Tia and her infant daughter Sixpence to their ragtag gang.
It is Billy’s knowledge, Max’s unfettered optimism and hope, Skip’s determination, Tia’s beauty, and Sixpence’s innocence that brings them together. In A Small Free Kiss in the Dark, Glenda Millard has created a fragile world with delicate characters; a world that, as you read into it more, unconsciously pulls your blanket tighter around you and curls your legs up close to your body. This book is not one to read lightly, nor is it one to miss.
Read-Alikes:
Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
Smack by Melvin Burgess
Green Angel by Alice Hoffman
Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden
The Girl Who Owned a City by O.T. Nelson
Z is for Zachariah by Robert C. O’Brien
Punkzilla by Adam Rapp
How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
No and Me by Delphine de Vigan
Skip is asleep in a Dumpster when the bombs begin to fall. He wakes up violently, ears ringing, dust and garbage in his mouth, chunks of concrete raining down on top of his exhausted body, Dumpster rolling from the concussion of the blast. Skip doesn’t know which way is up, but he crawls out of the Dumpster and runs. Skip runs and runs, looking for someone or something familiar, and then he sees the grizzled face of his friend Billy.
In the days after the war begins, Billy and Skip rattle around the broken city, searching for food, for shelter. One day, they find a six year-old boy named Max who has lost his mother. Another day, they follow the train tracks out of the city to Dreamland, an abandoned amusement park that becomes their home. As soldiers begin to move in, Skip, Billy and Max find it harder to hide themselves, especially with the addition of the dancing teenage mother Tia and her infant daughter Sixpence to their ragtag gang.
It is Billy’s knowledge, Max’s unfettered optimism and hope, Skip’s determination, Tia’s beauty, and Sixpence’s innocence that brings them together. In A Small Free Kiss in the Dark, Glenda Millard has created a fragile world with delicate characters; a world that, as you read into it more, unconsciously pulls your blanket tighter around you and curls your legs up close to your body. This book is not one to read lightly, nor is it one to miss.
Read-Alikes:
Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
Smack by Melvin Burgess
Green Angel by Alice Hoffman
Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden
The Girl Who Owned a City by O.T. Nelson
Z is for Zachariah by Robert C. O’Brien
Punkzilla by Adam Rapp
How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
No and Me by Delphine de Vigan
December 18, 2013
A Small Free Kiss in the Dark by Glenda Millard is an outstanding book because of its excellent use of imagery and the way it can connect the story to the reader. For most, the title is very misleading however this book is much more than the cover. Being an artist myself this book was very interesting to me. The main character, Skip, is very artistic and sees the world from a completely different point of view. When you may look at a tree and see the brown bark and green leaves, Skip may see how the light shines off the dew on the leaves and creates a shadow on the ground. A perfect example of this is when Skip says “I stares at the black between the tiles and made my eyes go skinny so I could concentrate on the reverse pattern. A siren screamed close by. Lights smeared across the entry of the arcade: ribbons of dangerous red and ice-cold blue” (Millard 38). Skip notices the little detail in things which is what makes this book so enjoyable. It takes imagery to whole new level, which makes this book impossible to put down.
Glenda Millard connects the story to the reader because this book talks about what life is like after a war. The struggle for survival during the aftermath of a war is something that Skip talks about often. It makes the reader feel sympathetic towards him and what he is going through. You can feel Skips pain when he says “I’m hungry. I gotta go. I found a place that you can get bread for free. They leave their leftovers in an alley-garbage bags full of it” (Millard 15). That fact that Skip must get food from the garbage in order to survive is very sad and really made me reevaluate how lucky I am to have the things that I do. Glenda Millard was able to touch my heart with scenes like this. This is why A Small Free Kiss in the Dark is such an amazing book.
Glenda Millard connects the story to the reader because this book talks about what life is like after a war. The struggle for survival during the aftermath of a war is something that Skip talks about often. It makes the reader feel sympathetic towards him and what he is going through. You can feel Skips pain when he says “I’m hungry. I gotta go. I found a place that you can get bread for free. They leave their leftovers in an alley-garbage bags full of it” (Millard 15). That fact that Skip must get food from the garbage in order to survive is very sad and really made me reevaluate how lucky I am to have the things that I do. Glenda Millard was able to touch my heart with scenes like this. This is why A Small Free Kiss in the Dark is such an amazing book.
March 13, 2011
I really liked the way the book was written from the innocent young boy point of view. I haven't read a lot of books told from a kid's point of view and I found that Skip's mind was so colorful. He described many everyday objects in such a colorful way and I liked it a lot.
The fact that Skip is also an aspiring would-be famous painter who drew on pavements and walls is also, I don't know, like a fresh breath of air for me.
I've been reading a lot about good girls who stay at home, save people and was generally good. I'm not saying it's a bad thing to write about them but I liked how Skip is such a creative kid and drew on public places. He is an innocent delinquent. I like it. c:
I liked how the book tells about the innocence of young kids like Max, who are so independent on their parents and always trusted people so blindly. He barely knew Skip and Billy but he willingly followed them wherever they went and, yet, still trusted them to bring him back to his mother. Lucky for him Billy and Skip are decent people. It touched me to read how easily Skip come to love Max as much as he would love his own little brother since Skip himself barely have a proper family that he can love properly.
Billy was also another entire universe. At first, when I read the book, from Skip's description of him, he gave off the appearance of an old man who doesn't want to take any responsibility for any stranger, especially a youngster at that. But when the war began and he stuck with Skip trhough thick and thin, and later with Max, I thought that, Billy is a dear old man. Especially when he consented in letting Tia joing their group of war refugee.
I wouldn't mind reading this book again and again.
The fact that Skip is also an aspiring would-be famous painter who drew on pavements and walls is also, I don't know, like a fresh breath of air for me.
I've been reading a lot about good girls who stay at home, save people and was generally good. I'm not saying it's a bad thing to write about them but I liked how Skip is such a creative kid and drew on public places. He is an innocent delinquent. I like it. c:
I liked how the book tells about the innocence of young kids like Max, who are so independent on their parents and always trusted people so blindly. He barely knew Skip and Billy but he willingly followed them wherever they went and, yet, still trusted them to bring him back to his mother. Lucky for him Billy and Skip are decent people. It touched me to read how easily Skip come to love Max as much as he would love his own little brother since Skip himself barely have a proper family that he can love properly.
Billy was also another entire universe. At first, when I read the book, from Skip's description of him, he gave off the appearance of an old man who doesn't want to take any responsibility for any stranger, especially a youngster at that. But when the war began and he stuck with Skip trhough thick and thin, and later with Max, I thought that, Billy is a dear old man. Especially when he consented in letting Tia joing their group of war refugee.
I wouldn't mind reading this book again and again.
Read
December 5, 2012Millard, Glenda. (2010). A Small Free Kiss in the Dark. New York: Holiday House. 180 pp. ISBN 978-0-8234-2264-7 (Hard Cover); $16.95.
War is hard. For Skip, living on the streets, war should be death. However, an older man, Billy, moves Skip and a very young boy, Max, to an abandoned amusement park to outlast the war.
The dichotomy between an amusement park and bombs serves as a rich foundation for reading a story about war and family. Skip’s dumpster explodes one day and he is thrust into the path of Billy, a wily and homeless man. Billy helps Skip avoid the bombs and then takes in a very young orphan, Max. Once they reach the amusement park, they adopt Mia, a teen mother who has a different definition of survival. I love that this war is not named, which allows readers to envision details of wars they know about, study in school, or see in the media. While Mia engages in behavior that is, perhaps, not suitable for younger students, the descriptions are in the background, which makes this book perfectly suitable for middle school students who may see military recruiters in their community. Mia forces Skip to think about our actions and what they say about our humanity in the face of a conflict so un-amusing that we sometimes need to force ourselves to find the humor and beauty in life despite our circumstances. The description of Billy from Skip’s perspective is nicely balanced by the reader’s more complete understanding that Billy is terrified and far from perfect. Another notable element to this book is its understanding of the power of art, both visual art and performance art. The outsider art element to this book is especially unique and important and interesting. Another plus for this book is its FABULOUS cover.
War is hard. For Skip, living on the streets, war should be death. However, an older man, Billy, moves Skip and a very young boy, Max, to an abandoned amusement park to outlast the war.
The dichotomy between an amusement park and bombs serves as a rich foundation for reading a story about war and family. Skip’s dumpster explodes one day and he is thrust into the path of Billy, a wily and homeless man. Billy helps Skip avoid the bombs and then takes in a very young orphan, Max. Once they reach the amusement park, they adopt Mia, a teen mother who has a different definition of survival. I love that this war is not named, which allows readers to envision details of wars they know about, study in school, or see in the media. While Mia engages in behavior that is, perhaps, not suitable for younger students, the descriptions are in the background, which makes this book perfectly suitable for middle school students who may see military recruiters in their community. Mia forces Skip to think about our actions and what they say about our humanity in the face of a conflict so un-amusing that we sometimes need to force ourselves to find the humor and beauty in life despite our circumstances. The description of Billy from Skip’s perspective is nicely balanced by the reader’s more complete understanding that Billy is terrified and far from perfect. Another notable element to this book is its understanding of the power of art, both visual art and performance art. The outsider art element to this book is especially unique and important and interesting. Another plus for this book is its FABULOUS cover.
May 4, 2011
I went into reading A Small Free Kiss in the Dark with no expectations as I’d heard very little about it in the blogosphere. And it blew my socks off.
Skip tells his story, and I mean he literally writes his story and mentions the craft of his doing so, in a hauntingly beautiful way. Reading A Small Free Kiss in the Dark I noticed the artistic nature of Glenda Millard’s prose. Skip’s narration is poetic and stunningly beautiful. He has a way of looking at the world that intrigues me to no end. It’s like he sees the world through a foggy, dreamlike lens that distorts reality into a huge image of art and words.
A Small Free Kiss in the Dark is largely set in an abandoned fairground called Dreamland that is evoked so vividly that I felt if I just opened the book wide enough I’d be able to step through the words and take a ride on Skip’s pinto carousel horse. Glenda Millard uses metaphors, similes and imagery so, so artfully that I felt my bedroom walls dissolve around me as I read. Just astonishing.
As you may have guessed from my review so far, Skip was by far my favourite character in A Small Free Kiss in the Dark and was what made me furiously turn the pages. Some of the things that he said made me smile and my heart break simultaneously. He’s incredibly wise and perceptive for a young boy, and yet still so innocent and willing to give his all for those he cares for.
I adored this novel and if by reading this review one more person picks it up I’ll have done my job. Go read it now!
Skip tells his story, and I mean he literally writes his story and mentions the craft of his doing so, in a hauntingly beautiful way. Reading A Small Free Kiss in the Dark I noticed the artistic nature of Glenda Millard’s prose. Skip’s narration is poetic and stunningly beautiful. He has a way of looking at the world that intrigues me to no end. It’s like he sees the world through a foggy, dreamlike lens that distorts reality into a huge image of art and words.
A Small Free Kiss in the Dark is largely set in an abandoned fairground called Dreamland that is evoked so vividly that I felt if I just opened the book wide enough I’d be able to step through the words and take a ride on Skip’s pinto carousel horse. Glenda Millard uses metaphors, similes and imagery so, so artfully that I felt my bedroom walls dissolve around me as I read. Just astonishing.
As you may have guessed from my review so far, Skip was by far my favourite character in A Small Free Kiss in the Dark and was what made me furiously turn the pages. Some of the things that he said made me smile and my heart break simultaneously. He’s incredibly wise and perceptive for a young boy, and yet still so innocent and willing to give his all for those he cares for.
I adored this novel and if by reading this review one more person picks it up I’ll have done my job. Go read it now!
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