The Loblolly Boy

The Loblolly Boy #1

by James Norcliffe

When he turned around I could see the spread of the feathery green wings that sprouted from his shoulders, beautiful waving wings. I felt as if I were suddenly on a different planet. Part of me wanted to drop to my knees. 'Who are you?' I gasped.

The loblolly boy has the gift of flight. He is invisible to most people, apart from the Sensitives; is much coveted by the sinister Collectors; and he has the power to Exchange - to swap identities with others. But the children who choose to Exchange - often to escape very miserable lives - soon realise that to become one of these magical, Peter Pan-like creatures brings complications and dangers they never anticipated.

'The children in The Loblolly Boy find themselves caught up in a remarkable chain of events. Through an encounter with the fantastic loblolly boy they can become fantastic themselves. This is a rich fantasy - alive with original twists, surprises and mysteries which I dare not reveal. Children's literature is about to be enriched with a new classic.' Margaret Mahy

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Childrens, Supernatural, Speculative Fiction, Fiction, Juvenile

228 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2009

About the author

James Norcliffe is both an award-winning poet and the author of five Young Adult novels. He teaches at New Zealand's Lincoln University and lives in Church Bay with his wife and an ungrateful cat named Pinky Bones. His novel, The Assassin of Gleam, received an award for the best fantasy published in New Zealand in 2006.

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aka The Loblolly Boy. First in a series!
Yes, the premise has been done... but the reason the book is worth picking up is because of how the 'magic' happens. Is Freedom worth the Cost? It's a big question for a kids' book. But Norcliffe has a light touch, and the intensity of the ideas & 'scary' adventures is balanced by the humor & the 'good' adventures. Honestly, I don't know how to talk about it... just know that I enjoyed it very much and will look for more.

[Poodle · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a re-read. I read it a few years ago. It is the story of a boy named Michael who meets the strange character of the Lobolly boy. Michael wants to escape his life in the orphanage, so he switches bodies with the Lobolly boy.

There were a few things that I liked about the book, like how the author portrays the town in England, but most points were not good.

I felt like the personalities of the twins in the book were similar, so it did not give enough character distinction to them. Also, I felt like the entire concept of the Lobolly boys was not reasonable and I didn't understand it.

There is also this feeling of damp darkness that dogs up my mind when I read it. It is a mix of the confusing plot and the unrealistic villain.

[lovisa c: · Rating 3 out of 5]

“In a way, though, nothing had changed. I was just as alone in the empty playground as I had been in the crowded one. I had nowhere to go, nobody to talk to. And what made it all the more depressing was that this great nothingness could well be the rest of my life.” ☹️

[Tom · Rating 2 out of 5]

It had so much potential, but it was wasted. He doesn't leave footprints, but he can carry objects? Special glasses help the collector _hear_ the boy? The collector captures butterflies ... and loblolly boys? The boy sleeps but doesn't eat? And with so much interaction potential, how is he not real? The kids in the orphanage don't even know the name of the institution? The mom can walk out with the kid without following policy? The captain and his telescope also fail to excite my imagination. They just don't seem to fit in.

Now, had he been left really disconnected from reality, had the bad guy been convincing, had the telescope been left out, and had some of the rest of the plot been more convincing and consistent, I think this could have been a good book.

I did like the idea of him finding his family. That was also something I didn't suspect before it happened, for some reason, yet it was still guessable, and that's good.

[Maree Kimberley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book for kids aged around 9-12 years full of mystery and adventure. The messages of "be careful what you wish for" and "the grass is always greener on the other side" are not pushed too hard, and, although the identity-swapping is quite complex, it's easy to follow. I loved all the characters, and the mix of fantasy in a real world setting worked really well. My only minor quibble with the plot is that it was set in contemporary times yet the main character was a virtual prisoner in a children's home. It may have worked better if it was set in the 70s/80s - still fairly recent but before everyone owned mobile phones. But didn't detract from my overall enjoyment of the book and I plan to read it again with my pyjama angel child.

[Deb Omnivorous Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very fun, nicely done children's book about what happens to Michael, a boy in an orphanage where he wishes he was somewhere else: A mysterious boy, strangely dressed appears to him and tells him he is 'the Loblolly boy' also, he can fly. This would let Michael fly over the high walls of the orphanage and escape. He is not told that this means an 'exchange' with the Loblolly boy staying behind as Michael and he does not pause to wonder why the Loblolly boy would want that.

This is a lovely gentle story of self awakening, with a modern fairy tale feel.

[Francesca Pashby · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the premise of this book and the notion of a 'loblolly boy' flying around the world, but in some instances the tone was jarring or stilted, and my sense of the setting, which I presume was contemporary, actually felt like it wanted to be set longer ago in the past. Still, an interesting read.

[Adele Broadbent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wouldn't you like to fly? But what if you could never be the same again?

This is a fabulously plotted story, that pieced together effortlessly (not just all tied up quickly at the end) – well deserved NZ Post Children’s book of the year 2010.

[Rants and Bants · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very unique book and concept! The writing was a little awkward in some places, but all in all, it was a good story. And like with Wonder, I think I would’ve enjoyed it a lot if I’d read it as a kid. It sort of reminded me a little of The Lovely Bones, only a LOT better.

[Moldy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this way back in the day when I was like 10 years old. It was the first book I read that taught me a valuable lesson about people, life, and how everyone just needs some empathy because you never know what they're going through. The nostalgia hits hard with this one for me.

[Leann J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.4

[Ashnika · Rating 5 out of 5]

i vaguely remember this book from years ago but i remember reading it felt like an out of body experience and i cannit find it anywhere in the world

[Addie D.M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just...don't think this book was for me. I tried it, and I read it, and I think the author did a good job writing...

It's just not necessarily what I was hoping for.

And that happens.

[Hannah Singh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn’t really enjoy this to be honest. Had to read for Lit Quiz but then I’m not the target audience.

[Anne Hamilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Red is miserable. A loner, desperate to known about life beyond the wall of the Great House, he is too afraid of the Keepers and their giant mastiff dogs to risk breaking the rules. Then he meets the loblolly boy, a creature invisible to most people, and possessed of the saddest eyes as well as the most glorious feather wings.

The loblolly boy promises to teach Red to fly; then tricks him into exchanging identities. Revelling in his new-found freedom and power, red soars off, mysteriously drawn to a deserted cove where the strange fisherman, Captain Bass, lives.

The exhilaration of being a loblolly boy quickly wears off when Red realises that only sensitives like Captain Bass can see him.

Invisible, inaudible, untouchable — the price of being the loblolly boy is a loneliness even more terrible than any he’s previously known.
And the only way out is the Exchange - to trick someone into taking his place or to find someone willing to make the sacrifice for him.
Once Red looks into the Captain’s future-gazing telescope, his restlessness increases.

Who are the red-headed twins he can see arguing with a grumpy grey-haired woman? And who is the sinister man in black stovepipe trousers with a butterfly net and a laurel jar? And what is the significance of the strange ‘gift’ the captain gives him which has a note on it, ‘To Be Returned’?

A bleak life, a desperate choice, the price of freedom — is Red the first loblolly boy willing to try to reverse the process? Will he be the one to break the chain of deception and misery? What will the consequences be, if he does?

The Loblolly Boy is enjoyable enough and perhaps even a great read but, despite all the ‘make way for a future classic’ hype, I don’t think it’s something I really feel ready to rave about, yet. But perhaps that’s just me.

[Anne Hamilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Red is miserable. A loner, desperate to known about life beyond the wall of the Great House, he is too afraid of the Keepers and their giant mastiff dogs to risk breaking the rules. Then he meets the loblolly boy, a creature invisible to most people, and possessed of the saddest eyes as well as the most glorious feather wings.

The loblolly boy promises to teach Red to fly; then tricks him into exchanging identities. Reveling in his new-found freedom and power, red soars off, mysteriously drawn to a deserted cove where the strange fisherman, Captain Bass, lives.

The exhilaration of being a loblolly boy quickly wears off when Red realises that only sensitives like Captain Bass can see him. Invisible, inaudible, untouchable — the price of being the loblolly boy is a loneliness even more terrible than any he’s previously known.
And the only way out is the Exchange - to trick someone into taking his place or to find someone willing to make the sacrifice for him.
Once red looks into the Captain’s future-gazing telescope, his restlessness increases.

Who are the red-headed twins he can see arguing with a grumpy grey-haired woman? And who is the sinister man in black stovepipe trousers with a butterfly net and a laurel jar? And what is the significance of the strange ‘gift’ the captain gives him which has a note on it, ‘To Be Returned’?

A bleak life, a desperate choice, the price of freedom — is Red the first loblolly boy willing to try to reverse the process? Will he be the one to break the chain of deception and misery? What will the consequences be, if he does?

The Loblolly Boy is enjoyable enough and perhaps even a great read but, despite all the ‘make way for a future classic’ hype, I don’t think it’s something I really feel ready to rave about, yet. But perhaps that’s just me.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Michael lives in an orphanage and lives a miserable life. He desperately wants to get out. The orphanage is surrounded by a high brick wall so he knows nothing about what goes on outside of those walls. Also, the wardens and the viscious guard dogs makes escape impossible. One day Michael meets a stranger called the loblolly boy who can fly. He convinces Michael to trade places with him.....and Michael sees this as his chance to escape the orphanage. So, the loblolly boys teaches Michael how to fly and Michael becomes the loblolly boy. He flys away from the orphanage and discovers, people, places and things as well as discovering somethings about himself. After a while Michael tires of being the loblolly boy. He doesn't like being invisible, he doesn't like not having an appetite and he misses his old life. But the problem is that now he must find someone to take his place. While outside of the orphanage he finds his family and for a while they trade places with him (his sisters) but won't assume his identity permanently. The only way for Michael to return to his original life is to convince the loblolly boy who traded places with him and who now lives at the orphanage to take his life back.


This is an international literature book written in 2010 in the country of New Zealand. It was written for children ages 10-14. I have mixed feelings about how much students would enjoy this book very much. It moves very slow and is predictable.

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by Lynn Crow for TeensReadToo.com

Michael lives a miserable existence in the strict orphanage he calls home, until the day he meets the loblolly boy.

At first amused by the boy's insistence that he can fly, Michael is awed when he sees the boy's wings, and agrees to learn to fly, too. When, by magic, he and the loblolly boy switch places, he's only too happy to flee the orphanage and thrill in the freedom of flight.

But Michael soon discovers there are plenty of disadvantages to life as a loblolly boy. He can't feel cold or warmth, he can't eat, and only a few people can see and hear him, so for the most part he's completely alone.

With the help of an old sailer and his mysterious telescope, Michael finds a family with twin girls he feels a strange connection to. As he gets to know them, he starts to see there may be a way to fix everything, as long as he can stay out of the maniacal Collector's grasp in time to do it.

THE BOY WHO COULD FLY is a magical adventure. Readers will sympathize with Michael's plight both as a regular human and as a loblolly boy, and follow him eagerly through the twists and turns of his journey. Though mostly light with moments of humor, the book also manages to consider what it means to be human, and what is worth sacrificing to hold onto ones humanity, which will leave readers thinking after they've turned the last page.

[Larissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

For as long as Michael can remember he has lived within the high walls containing the Great House and its gardens. It would have been a wonderful place, were it not for the teasing from the other children, the berating from the Keepers, and the disgusting food forced upon him; not to mention the vicious dogs.

Just like Peter Pan he appeared all dressed in green with promises of flying and freedom. Michael had thought the Loblolly Boy had come to rescue him, instead he found he had become the Loblolly Boy, and the Loblolly Boy had become him.

Life as a Loblolly Boy was wonderful; you are free, are able to fly and are invisible. A Loblolly Boy can go anywhere, and do anything. Soon, however, Michael discovers why a Loblolly Boy would choose to exchange lives, a Loblolly Boy can not eat, has no home and no one to talk to, and no one to love them.

The Loblolly Boy is a timeless tale; a great story that is fun, warm and full of excitement. Everyone has at some time felt out of place, has longed for a life that's not their own. In The Loblolly Boy we are given that chance of escape from our lives, but at a price. Here there is a lesson to be learnt; that no matter appearances, the grass is not always greener.

[Katelyn Mendoza-Weiss]

"The Boy Who Could Fly" is a book about an orphaned child, Michael, like any ordinary kid, wishes he could fly away. The prologue of this book, I think does a good job at luring people in. There is a boy by name of Ben who is moving out of his house with his dad and step-mother. He does not like his step-mother and wishes that he could get away and not have to worry about it. What drew me in to the novel, was not necessarily that I could relate to boy's exact story, but that I could relate to his feelings of being frustrated and wishing for all my problems to go away. I think that this is a great aspect of the book, and it is something that kids his age could relate to as well, while reading the book. Another aspect of this book that drew me, is the mysterious boy who appears both in the prologue and in the first chapter, and obviously throughout the rest of the book. The mysterious boy says he has a solution to the problems of Ben's life in the prologue and Michael's life, which the book is actually about. The details and mentioning of this mysterious boy made me interested in reading the rest of the novel. I don't know how detailed this book could get, but it seems like a good book to read for fun and potentially have good discussion questions in a classroom setting.

[Haley Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a orphaned boy named Michael who just wants to leave from the place he has called home. All he wants to be is free and he got just what he wanted when a loblolly boy came along and switched with him. Michael soared through the air and was invisible. He was the loblolly boy now. At first Michael enjoyed it, but soon finds that it can be a terrible thing. The new loblolly boy met a old captain by the name of Captain Bass. Captain Bass has a telescope that tells what can happen at any time. The loblolly boy looked through it and saw two girls and a strange man. Michael met all of them and it was a true adventure for sure.

I really enjoyed this book and it was a pretty quick read. The downside is it can be confusing at times. There is a few words that aren't very appropriate, but they aren't as bad as they could be. The book was very interesting with all of the twists and some of the action. It may take a while to read, but it is worth the time. The book is great because you can meet many different characters and the book takes you to many different places. I really recommend this book if you like adventure, fantasy, and mystery.

[Philippa Elvy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story, ostensibly for upper primary school aged children, is a delight. At this level it is a fantasy in which the longed-for impossible occurs - children fly on wings - they can remain invisible to the human eye as they escape their irksome everyday reality. Yet, like much of the best children's literature, there is another level which holds appeal and rings true for the adult reader - the development of an idea which is summed up by the saying, "Out of the fryingpan and into the fire". The difficulties of everyday life, which we all experience as children and as adults, are often in the end better faced with understanding than fled from in haste. The loblolly boy learns in a most delightful, exciting series of events that the grass on the other side may be brown, rather than greener. In the neatest of plots he finds a solution to his discovery which leaves both the adult and the young reader satisfied and happy. I can imagine this as a movie - is there a New Zealand filmmaker out there?

[Nhayima Chuula · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would rate this book a four star book because it was really good but it could have been better. This is a story of a boy called Michael who is an orphan. Everyday he wishes he could be free and fly over the towers. He meets a boy who grants him his wish. He goes through many things and he gets the power of flight, which is cool. He gets to fly but he loses touch with everything that makes him human. There are many positives in this book such as everything he goes through when he loses his humanity and how he feels about it. There are not many negatives in this book because it's a good book but to someone else it might be a bad book. "But I do exist, I'm here right now aren't I?" He said angrily. This shows he was angry about not really existing. The genre of his book is fantasy alive with original twists. At first Michael enjoys the power of flight and invisibility, it's exciting. After awhile he longs for human contact.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did you ever wish you could fly? What if the cost of having wings was becoming invisible to everyone else – permanently? That’s the conundrum the loblolly boy finds himself in. He has escaped his lonely, melancholy existence at an orphanage by soaring away on beautiful green wings; but he soon discovers that he is even lonelier than before because nobody except old Captain Bass can see or hear him. Or can they?

Follow Michael on his funny, dangerous, surprising, and sometimes sad journey as he learns what it is he’s really looking for and how he can find it.

Fans of Lois Lowry’s fantasy (The Giver, Gossamer) and the unfortunate lives of the Baudelaire orphans (A Series of Unfortunate Events, by Lemony Snicket) are likely to enjoy this book.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Boy Who Could Fly was, at times, a bit confused. As if Norcliffe, an award winning poet, had a hard time distancing himself from the beauty of the verse. Still, the story was so completely original and wholly unpredictable, I thought it deserved more than just an "I Liked It" rating.

The Boy Who Could Fly tells the story of the loblolly boy - a boy who is invisible to most of the world around him, has giant green wings and has the ability to trade his existence for another. But as Captain Bass, the mentor to the loblolly boy, says, "Folks often forget that when they are desperate to escape from something, they have to escape into something else."

I finished this quickly and eagerly. I had no idea of the sorts of twists and turns the story would take and I was glad of that.

[Duane · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting story. A boy who lives in an orphanage soon befriends a boy who seems magical. He can appear suddenly and fly whenever he wants to. Wanting to escape the orphanage, the boy trades places with the flying boy and soon discovers he now is the Loblolly Boy. Being invisible to most, not being able to eat are just a few of the things he discovers aren't as much fun as he thought they'd be. After meeting an old man who tells him about his predicament, Loblolly Boy soon finds himself on an adventure when he meets twin girls who can see him. Filled with adventure and drama, this is a good book for preteen and up readers. The New Zealand dialect might confuse younger readers.

[Missmath144 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This New Zealand publication will be released in the U.S. as The Boy Who Could Fly. The Loblolly Boy can fly, but he cannot be seen by most people (except for sensitives) and he cannot eat. It's a lonely life, so the Loblolly Boy tries to find a human who is so miserable that he is willing to change places with him. Trouble is that if someone is that miserable, the new life the Loblolly boy takes on will be that miserable life.

It's a story about the frying pan and the fire. It's a story about finding where you belong. It's a delightful fantasy with likeable characters.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick and simple fable about an orphan tricked into trading bodies with the Loblolly Boy, a winged creature invisible to most people--very tempting freedoms at first glance to a kid living in a bad situation--and then, when he discovers how lonely it is, faced with the choice of whether to stay in this ghost-like state forever, or to become human again by tricking someone else into trading with him, condemning them to the same isolated existence. A good story for younger readers about the 'grass is always greener on the other side of the fence' idea.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a bizarre book. It took me a while to get into the story but I'm glad I kept reading.

Who as a child didn't have dreams of being able to fly away from all their troubles? This is a story that shows us that the grass isn't always greener on the other side.

http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot....

Borrowed an ARC of this book from a friend.

[Alba · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was fantastic. That's it. Fantastic, A new world. I'm so happy I picked this up at the library, especially after some disappointments(books I didn't even care to finish). The Loblolly boy is a story everybody should get the chance to read. I read this book straight through and the story really remind you to appriciate what you have and think that yoú're not very unlucky. One of the best books I've read in a really long time.