A painting that falls from the wall in Vincent’s
room in England, leads him on a quest to Camargue after he discovers a message inscribed
on the back. He sets out on his journey and while camping at his destination,
becomes seriously ill. He is found by Renzo and taken to the farmhouse where he
is nursed by the healer and Kezia, the only other occupant of the farm.
Through a powerful narrative, Kezia relates her
life to Vincent in stages, from her childhood when she first met Renzo till the
moment she came to live permanently at the farmhouse. He learns of her Roma
background and their caravan, and how in the midst of the threat of invasion,
is a carousel, hand-crafted by Kezia’s father, and painted by her mother that
represented life to the town.
But when a tree falls and smashes the carousel, it
signals the destruction of their lives and the shattering of everything they
own and love with the coming of the Germans.
Within all this chaos, and with people going
missing every day never to return, one German soldier stands out like a beacon
of hope for the future.
Filled with compassion and love, this perfectly
crafted story is full of humanity and hope. It’s about family and what defines
it, friendship and fate, and how people who are outcasts – people with uncommon
minds, are the ones that make a difference to the common person’s life.
Title:
Flamingo Boy
Author:
Michael Morpurgo
Publisher:
HarperCollins, $16.99
Publication
Date: February 2018
Format:
Paperback
ISBN:
9780008134648
For
ages: 9+
Type:
Historical Fiction
