The Boy In The Smoke - Rachel Faturoti

To his friends, Isaiah is a happy, confident boy, but they don't know the whole story: Isaiah's mum now studies in Berlin so it's just him and his dad, but things aren't easy. After an accident, his dad struggles with chronic back pain which makes working difficult; as a result, money is tight and they are struggling. 

On his way home from school one day, Isaiah heads into the basement of his block of flats and there he encounters Jacob who appears to him through the smoke in the chimney place. The pair start to communicate and Jacob reveals that he is living in the same building but in the Victorian era. He is in an orphanage after his father went missing and has been declared dead, but Jacob is convinced he is still alive.  Can Isaiah's history project in the local area help to change Jacob's life as well as his own?

The Boy In The Smoke is a book that appealed to me from the start and I read in a couple of days as I found it so engaging.  The book looks at the struggles that will be facing many young people these days in a sensitive way. Isaiah's desire to hide his struggles at home and their lack of money are honest, and things such as needing to visit the food bank and not wanting friends to come round will show readers in a similar situation that they are not alone.  Isaiah is also very clearly a carer for his dad when his pain is at its worst and this is depicted well, showing Isaiah's conflict between looking after his dad and being in trouble at school for lack of attendance and lateness. Isaiah's love for his father is obvious and his strength in dealing with everything shows, but so do the struggles and worries that come with that. 

Then there is Jacob who is a Victorian boy struggling with the conditions in the orphanage he's been placed in.  Using the fire-place and letters as their way to communicate, the pair becomes friends and determin to help each other, with Jacob offering advice to Isaiah who, in turn, uses modern technology and his history project to try to help Jacob.  

In a heart-warming book where the past and the present collide, family, friendship and courage are all evident.  Characters are real, relatable and will help readers to learn that it is important not to judge others.  The plot is pacey and engaging and I was completely invested in the outcome for both Isaiah and Jacob.  The Boy In The Smoke would make a great class reader for anybody looking for a Victorian story with a difference and will provoke interesting discussions around empathy.  I know this book will go down well with my Year 6 class in September.