Johnny Kellock Died Today
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Price:
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$12.99
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On Sale:
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30/03/2006
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Formats:
Trade PB
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"You probably never heard that I got the oldest mother
in the whole world. She was coming up on fifty when I came along. I tell
people that’s a world record. The truth is I never looked it up.
Having a mother who holds a world record, that’s better than having a
mother who’s just really old."
Rosalie Norman is 11 years old, the afterthought in an already
grown-up family. Confronted with a mother who’s not only old but also a
no-nonsense authoritarian, Rosalie retreats into the long, hot Halifax summer of
1959 with her drawings. But because of Rosalie’s carelessness, her mom falls
and breaks her leg. Now, to help out, the family has hired the strange new
neighbour, a boy named David—or "the Gravedigger," as other kids
cruelly call him. Even worse, Rosalie’s favourite cousin, Johnny, has suddenly
disappeared. Unsure of herself in a clan that’s never quite what it seems,
Rosalie not only uncovers family secrets as she searches for Johnny and
befriends David, but also finds her own special place in the world. A wonderful
whirlwind of bravado and vulnerability, Rosalie is an unforgettable voice in an
original and compelling novel.
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Author Extras
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Critical Praise for
Johnny Kellock Died Today
"I could say a lot about this book, about the beautiful detailing, Rosalie's charming character, the exuberance of the prose, how wise and hilarious it is. But let's just cut to the chase -- it's utterly gorgeous!"
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Tim Wynne-Jones
"This marvellous coming of age novel tells the story of girl who, one hot Halifax summer, half a century ago, discovers something about the love and the secrets that bind her family. Johnny Kellock Died Today is elegant, assured, atmospherically charged, and I hope that young readers will recommend it to their parents. They'll also find much to enjoy in this debut that marks Hadley Dyer not as "a writer to watch" but as a writer fully formed. She’s a treasure, and so is Johnny Kellock."
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Bill Richardson, writer and broadcaster
"Cliche free! Hadley Dyer's is a refreshing, new voice!"
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Brian Doyle
What a wonderful read. The title is delightfully and deceptively misleading. As I read it, I kept having the same emotional feelings that I experienced when, long ago now, I read Harper Lees' To Kill a Mockingbird. Of course, the content is quite different, but it was how I felt about Lee's and Dyer's creation of family, the physical setting and the "underdog.'"
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Dave Jenkinson, editor of CM Magazine
"Narrated in the first-person, Rosalie's voice is bright, witty and in the end, infinitely wise. The story moves forward in a meandering, exploratory fashion that, in a sense, mimics the ethereal quality of a summer afternoon....Hadley Dyer brings us characters who are full of life. Through her clean, evocative imagery, Dyer renders a touching picture of Halifax in the 1950's."
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CM Magazine
"From her allusions to tasty regional detailsto her descriptions of emotions familiar to all of us, Dyer's way with words is unerring and satisfying. Humour and poetry, family love and an intense sense of place infuse this outstanding first novel, which offers its readers wisdom, entertainment and the best of literary pleasures."
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Toronto Star
"The quietly stunning revelations at the heart of this first novel, the depth of its characters and the wonderful particularities of time and place attest to the presence of a shining new talent at work."
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The Globe and Mail
"Sparkling imagery and delicious metaphors sprinkle young Rosalie's perspective on family and neighbours living on her Halifax street. A wonderful first novel, engaging, suspenseful, touching and funny; a moving account of a young girl's discovery of the family ties that bind us."
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Canadian Library Association citation for Children’s Book of the Year
Reader Reviews from First Look
It's like you are in the story. I fell into that house and that family like they were my own. Great novel for maritime kids and everyone else as well. I'll definitely recommend this one!!
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Lynne (New Glasgow, NS)
It's like you are in the story. I fell into that house and that family like they were my own. Great novel for maritime kids and everyone else as well. I'll definitely recommend this one!!
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Lynne (New Glasgow, NS)
The characters are life-like; the relationships exquisitely developed. The friendship that grows between Rosalie and David is skillfully described. WOW - what a great book from this author. I hope she writes more, and soon!
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Susan (Sherwood Park, AB)
Johnny Kellock Died Today is a wonderfully Canadian tale. The book is filled with characters that the reader can truly relate to, and a time period overflowing with familiarity. Not only will readers love to immerse themselves in this book for its magnetic storyline, but they will also adore the Nova Scotian reality. Anyone who knows Halifax in particular, will find themselves pleasantly at home amongst the names, schools and places mentioned.
This book is fantastic and destined to grace school library shelves as a new literary classic for children.
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Kelly (Edmonton, AB)
This book is captivating and brings you back to a time of innocence and freedom. Children are allowed to go into town to shop for their families and are also allowed to go swimming in the pond without adult supervision. I'm sure this book will sound unreal to today's supervised generation but will be exciting nonetheless. My 12-year-old daughter loved the book as well.
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Christal (Orleans, ON)
Johnny Kellock Died Today is a wonderful coming of age book set in Halifax in 1959... This lovely book will bring back memories of listening at doors in an effort to find out the family secrets, making new friends and dealing with crushes on older cousins.
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Sandra (Cornwall, PE)
My daughter and I both read and enjoyed Hadley Dyer's wonderful story of Rosalie's summer. She begins lonely and bored, but things quickly change to intrigue, new friendship and the resolution of family secrets that shock, confuse and ultimately please her! The story moves well, includes humour and feel-good aspects that made me close the back page and sigh. I would highly recommend it!
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Emily (Toronto, ON)
A little mystery, some misread clues and finally a happy ending and some real insight into the workings of family made this a good read.
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Nancy (Dunchurch, ON)
I passed this one on to my 11-year-old daughter, who really likes it. She especially likes the believability and detail of it. Rosalie is a character with which my daughter thinks most kids could identify.
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Jean (St. John's, NF)
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Johnny Kellock Died Today
It’s a long, hot Halifax summer in 1959 and twelve-year-old R osalie N orman has a guilty secret. Her no-nonsense, authoritarian mother has broken her ankle—and it’s all R osalie’s fault. But news that Johnny, her teenaged cousin, has vanished pushes the accident from...
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