Covering themes of family, childhood, separation and reunion, domestic violence and doing the right thing, this is an important and beautiful book for middle grade readers right up to adults.īilly's story is illustrated throughout with tonal and textured black and white drawings, until the event on All Souls' Eve, when the text gives way to a series of double page images of the supernatural happening. The other tells of his mother's situation at home and the police search for Billy. One thread tells of Billy's experience of hiding away in the graveyard, his mixed-up feelings and emotions, and the supernatural events he eventually witnesses. The book is written in two alternating narratives, both different aspects of the same story. While hiding there he meets an elderly man who is tending the graves in preparation for a day in November when something magical is set to happen. The Hideaway tells the story of a boy, Billy McKenna, who runs away from a difficult situation at home and takes refuge in an overgrown graveyard. The wonderful long-awaited second novel from Pam Smy, celebrated author and illustrator of Thornhill.

Smy takes children’s books to another level. Smy is the genius writer and illustrator of the stunning Thornhill. ‘ The Hideaway by Pam Smy is a work of art. This is a thoughtful mix of ghost story and family drama with a cautiously happy ending, and there’s a rewarding amount of depth here to keep readers pondering long after the brief novel ends.The wonderful long-awaited second novel from Pam Smy, the celebrated author and illustrator of Thornhill.Ĭovering themes of families, childhood, domestic violence, being separated and reunited, this is an important and beautifully illustrated book for middle grade readers right up to adults. The ethereal and intricate illustrations are an extraordinary treat, and Smy masterfully uses angles and shadows to convey emotion the gradual shift to softer curves and grays replacing black is a subtle one that hints at love renewed and connections thought lost being rebuilt. There’s idealism in the fact that the one person Billy encounters in his graveyard hideaway is incredibly kind, generous, and even a bit tuned into the supernatural, but it’s a welcome levity as Billy could use a lucky break more than most. It’s a simple tale but talented author and illustrator of the remarkable Thornhill (BCCB 7/17) shows again how gifted she is at layered storytelling, as the events unfold from multiple perspectives before converging to show the reconciliation of a mother and her son, as well as a reckoning with life, death, and the afterlife itself. Unable to deal with the abusive situation at home, young Billy follows through with his plan and runs away to a lonely graveyard meanwhile, in alternating chapters, the search for the missing boy begins.

Pam smy the hideaway