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Scavengers
by
Landfill has lived his whole life as a scavenger, running with wooflers, swimming with turtles and feasting on fresh gull. Old Babagoo has always looked after him, on one condition – follow his rules. Never come looking Outside. Never rise above the wall. But despite the dangers, Landfill longs to see Outside. And some rules are made to be broken.
Paperback, 288 pages
Published
March 7th 2019
by Usborne Publishing Ltd
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Nicely written, new age themed story about two characters living an alternative lifestyle. The boy who anchors the book is following a whole range of rules laid down by his guardian. Their lives change when some of the rules lead the boy to wonder what the truth is about their situation.
The characterisation is good and the plot rattles along nicely.
Genuinely wanted to know how it would finish and how the characters would conclude their stories.
The characterisation is good and the plot rattles along nicely.
Genuinely wanted to know how it would finish and how the characters would conclude their stories.
4.5 stars
I have so much love for this debut by the super talented Darren Simpson. Landfill is semi-feral, living with adult Scavenger Babagoo, cut off from the rest of society on the edge of a rubbish tip with an assortment of beautifully characterised animals. Landfill becomes curious - what is beyond the wall? What is the key Babagoo keeps around his neck, and why is he so adamant Landfill should not venture Outside? This is a thought provoking coming of age story with a slightly gritty edge and I can’
...more
Incredibly moving modern day twisted fairy tale in some ways
A poetic blend of Plato’s The Allegory of the Cave meets M Night Shyamalan’s The Village with a dash of I Am Legend.
For children the innocence and wonder of Landfill’s world will resonate an air of adventure and wild abandon as he is living in a deprived wild setting near a dump with a lot of rules to guarantee his survival from the horrors outside the wall and as the facade slowly is tarnished some children may be surprised by the ...more
A poetic blend of Plato’s The Allegory of the Cave meets M Night Shyamalan’s The Village with a dash of I Am Legend.
For children the innocence and wonder of Landfill’s world will resonate an air of adventure and wild abandon as he is living in a deprived wild setting near a dump with a lot of rules to guarantee his survival from the horrors outside the wall and as the facade slowly is tarnished some children may be surprised by the ...more
This story kept me guessing all the way through. The author gave you just enough information for you to paint a picture in your head but let you make your own assumptions about just what was going on.
Landfill is a feral child living in Hinterland, which I imagined to be a walled off area of a city, with an older man named Babagoo. There is all sorts of discussion which could be had around the relationship between these two characters and what they are doing in Hinterland. Is Babagoo a caring ...more
Landfill is a feral child living in Hinterland, which I imagined to be a walled off area of a city, with an older man named Babagoo. There is all sorts of discussion which could be had around the relationship between these two characters and what they are doing in Hinterland. Is Babagoo a caring ...more
Scavengers By Darren Simpson
Landfill has lived his whole life as a scavenger, running with wooflers, swimming with turtles and feasting on fresh gull. Old Babagoo has always looked after him, on one condition – follow his rules. Never come looking Outside. Never rise above the wall. But despite the dangers, Landfill longs to see Outside. And some rules are made to be broken.
.
When I started it, I thought it's a pure children's book but then as the book proceeds it gives more lessons which makes ...more
Landfill has lived his whole life as a scavenger, running with wooflers, swimming with turtles and feasting on fresh gull. Old Babagoo has always looked after him, on one condition – follow his rules. Never come looking Outside. Never rise above the wall. But despite the dangers, Landfill longs to see Outside. And some rules are made to be broken.
.
When I started it, I thought it's a pure children's book but then as the book proceeds it gives more lessons which makes ...more
One of my favourite reads of 2019. It is a exceptional book and deserves to win awards, if not be made into a film!
The story follows the story of Landfill, a boy who lives in a walled piece of wasteland adjacent to a rubbish dump. Raised by an old man called Bubagoo, he comes to question everything that his guardian has told him.
As an adult reading the book, it raises a mirror to the human race and makes us look at our throw away society, and the greed and disconnection that are increasingly ...more
The story follows the story of Landfill, a boy who lives in a walled piece of wasteland adjacent to a rubbish dump. Raised by an old man called Bubagoo, he comes to question everything that his guardian has told him.
As an adult reading the book, it raises a mirror to the human race and makes us look at our throw away society, and the greed and disconnection that are increasingly ...more
In this dystopian Stig of the Dump premise I was hooked by the child Landfill's interesting name & surroundings, especially as the animals around him are named after authors such as Orwell, Woolf & Vonnegut. How would he know to name them such? Why does he live in what seems to be a circular castle ruin?
The answer comes in the older man who seems to have saved him from a type of plague the Outsiders have.
How far into the future is the book set?
How many things do you assume by the way ...more
The answer comes in the older man who seems to have saved him from a type of plague the Outsiders have.
How far into the future is the book set?
How many things do you assume by the way ...more
Rubbish has never been this good
Darren Simpson has created a unique setting for Landfill and Babagoo's adventures and trials. It's unsettling at first and the reader is left to figure what everything means as you go along. The dialogue is full of treats such as wooflers, amnals and grubbins, and the relationship between the two main characters is full of light and shade. The plot dips a little as we settle into the book, but the second half is brilliant. A new character is introduced who turns ...more
Darren Simpson has created a unique setting for Landfill and Babagoo's adventures and trials. It's unsettling at first and the reader is left to figure what everything means as you go along. The dialogue is full of treats such as wooflers, amnals and grubbins, and the relationship between the two main characters is full of light and shade. The plot dips a little as we settle into the book, but the second half is brilliant. A new character is introduced who turns ...more
I read this one to my ten-year-old daughter, and it was great to see her experiencing the "everything is not as it seems" twists that an adult can pick up easily, for the first time.
Landfill and Babagoo are scavengers, living in a walled kingdom while the outside world rots. Babagoo has made a long list of rules for Landfill to follow, especially while Babagoo is away catching seagulls for them to eat in the world beyond the walls.
But slowly, despite the risk of discovery by the diseased people ...more
Landfill and Babagoo are scavengers, living in a walled kingdom while the outside world rots. Babagoo has made a long list of rules for Landfill to follow, especially while Babagoo is away catching seagulls for them to eat in the world beyond the walls.
But slowly, despite the risk of discovery by the diseased people ...more
Wonderful book with such beautiful writing and vivid characters and landscapes. I tore through it and was sad to leave the world of Hinterland behind when I finished. Can't wait to read whatever Darren Simpson does next.
Delightful read. A story for our times, and about our times. Continually torn between the outcomes I wanted for Landfill, and equally torn about my feelings towards Babagoo. Beautifully balanced to keep you turning those pages as the Outsiders draw ever closer.
This is brilliant! The characters, their environment and their wonderful language are flawless in their detail. Heartbreaking and unsettling at times, but told with sensitivity and warmth. Original, thought-provoking, five star story-telling.
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| Book attributed to wrong author | 1 | 4 | Jan 25, 2019 01:28AM | |
| Book attributed to wrong author (with same name) | 1 | 3 | Jan 21, 2019 02:27AM |
Readers also enjoyed
Darren Simpson writes vivid, unruly fiction for children. His debut novel Scavengers was a Guardian Best Book of 2019, and was selected for 2019’s national Summer Reading Challenge. He also provided the story for The Dust on the Moth, a crowdfunded multimedia novel for adults.
Darren lives in Nottingham with his wife and two mischievous boys. He loves using otherworldly settings and unconventional ...more
Darren lives in Nottingham with his wife and two mischievous boys. He loves using otherworldly settings and unconventional ...more
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