The Book of Legends (by Lenny Henry)

(Amazon UK link)

I knew of Lenny Henry as a comedian many years ago, but had no idea he had also written some children’s books. I would quite likely have continued in my ignorance, but for my grandson, aged 9, who asked me to read ‘The Book of Legends’ to him in evenings while I was visiting. 

I had no idea what to expect - I was imagining it might be a retelling of some classic legends, but I was wrong. My grandson said it was one of his favourite books, and he thought I would like it. He was correct.

The main characters in the book are the twelve-year-old twins Bran and Fran. Bran is deaf, so Fran is an expert in signing, and they’re both courageous and intelligent. We quickly learn that their father disappeared a few years earlier during a thunderstorm. He’s assumed dead, but no trace of him was ever found. They go camping with their mother, and in another thunderstorm, she, too, disappears. 

The twins are taken in by their mother’s employer, whom they know as Aunty Madge, but she finds them very difficult and feels that the only option is to send them to boarding school. They are horrified, and are also convinced that their mother is alive, if only they can find her. They are sure there must be clues in a book she wrote, with legends about ‘the Kingdom of the Nine Dimensions’. So they set out, with a few ideas from one of the stories, and eventually find themselves in this kingdom.

Most of the book, then, charts their adventures as they attempt to locate and rescue their mother. The narrative is interspersed with ‘legends’ from their mother’s book, and they meet a lot of interesting and likeable people (and magical creatures) as well as some enemies. 

Adventure stories and fantasy aren’t my favourite genre, but the writing is nicely paced with some low-key humour here and there (including some that made my grandson laugh aloud). I loved the way that signing is treated as a normal way to communicate, and I also liked the way that there are hints in the ‘legends’ of what is to come, but the children have to work through the details, and learn a lot about themselves as they do.

It’s the kind of book that can be appreciated by adults as well as children, so it made an excellent read-aloud; I can see, too, that it’s the kind of book that merits re-reading (or listening) as there are so many undercurrents - and knowing in advance who was whom would make it more interesting, although less tense.

Definitely recommended to fluent readers of nine and upwards who like magical adventure stories, but even more so as a read-aloud. 

Review copyright 2024 Sue's Book Reviews