Feathers, threats and shifting allegiances in an absorbing story about school bullying
Childhood can be extremely difficult. This is something that many of us seem to forget when we grow up, precisely because it can be such a troublesome journey. Those who write books for adolescents have not forgotten this fact, and recognise that while childhood can offer freedom, adventure and fun, it is possible for even children in loving families to find themselves alone, isolated by problems that seem insurmountable.
The Icarus Show is a book that ably dramatises this conundrum, and does so with lightness and grace. Alex Meadows has not found the move to secondary school an easy one, and has developed a maxim for staying out of trouble: don’t react. He has seen what happened to David, the boy next door, who answered back when teased by Alan and now suffers daily abuse. Alex’s strategy seems to be serving him well, until he discovers a feather in his school bag, along with a note: “Coming Soon. A boy is going to fly.”
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