The Last Boy - Eve McDonnell

Brewster is a chimney sweep who spends his days risking his life to clean chimneys for cruel Master Wyer who bought him from his mother.  However, Brewster has a hidden talent: he has a unique way with numbers that allows him to predict a storm of stars.  When his talent comes to the attention of an influential Lady, Brewster hopes that his way with numbers will help him to achieve his wish to be the last boy to ever have to climb a chimney.

Oh my goodness, I read The Last Boy on the terrace in Spain over half-term and finished it with tears streaming down my face! What a powerful story this is of love, fate and determination. The book itself is enough to tug at even the hardest heart, but then reading the author's note at the end and realising that it's based on a true story makes the whole book even more poignant. 

 

George Brewster was a truly remarkable character whose love for those around him shines off the pages. His compassion radiates in everything he does and he's a character I won't forget in a hurry.  He lived in a time that was truly awful for children whose families couldn't afford to keep them. Fiction is a brilliant way of showing children today what life was like in the past and The Last Boy does this perferctly - I can see this book being a brilliant addition to any classroom as a daily read or to accompany a Victorian topic.  

Eve has a wonderful way of bringing the past to life in the most vivid way through her books and each one has provoked strong emotions in me for different reasons.  The Last Boy is a triumph of a novel that will be read by children for many many years to come.