Mad Dog Moonlight

Fisk’s previous writing has won her many accolades and awards. She has been shortlisted for the Whitbread Children’s Book Award and has won the Smarties Prize.

This is the third book in a series inspired by the myths, legends and landscapes of Wales, in particular the areas surrounding the rivers Severn, Wye and Rheidol. Fisk explains that she uses rivers as life givers, and as ‘symbols of displacement, carrying profoundly rootless children on journeys through a world that they can see but not quite touch’.

The central character in this enthralling tale is Mad Dog Moonlight, who is given the more acceptable name of Ryan Lewis by his foster parents. Mysteries surround the frightened and sullen young boy: where did he and his baby brother come from? What happened to cause the disappearance of their parents? What role did the mountain of Plynlimon and the river of Rheidol play in bringing him to live at No. 3?

Fisk perfectly captures the magic and life force of the stunning natural world she depicts and her characters are strongly drawn and believable, from Mad Dog’s caring foster parents to the school mean girl, Grendel. Mad Dog’s story is a progression from sullen and bewildered child to articulate and helpful boy who finds the answers to his own personal questions when he braves up to the challenge of Plynlimon Mountain.

There is a great empathy for the characters here and an understanding of the mindset of the displaced and dispossessed and those who are in positions of authority and/or caring for them. There is adventure, terror, mystery and magic and I can heartily recommend this as an entertaining read for the holidays.