'Ned was beside me, his messages running easily through him, with space between each one, coming through him like water. He was the go-between, going between the animal kingdom and this one. I watched the waves as they rolled and crashed towards us, one after another, never stopping, always changing. I knew what was making them come, I had been there and I would always know.'
Meet Jimmy Flick. He's not like other kids - he's both too fast and too slow. He sees too much, and too little. Jimmy's mother Paula is the only one who can manage him. She teaches him how to count sheep so that he can fall asleep. She holds him tight enough to stop his cells spinning. It is only Paula who can keep Jimmy out of his father's way. But when Jimmy's world falls apart, he has to navigate the unfathomable world on his own, and make things right.
Lauren looks after the Design Zone here at Boffins. She loves to read all sorts of things, especially nature writing, books on art and music and she has a passion for vegetarian cookbooks. She likes to spend her spare time pottering in the garden, doing crafts and curling up with her cat Casper.
The dysfunctions of family are heartbreakingly discovered through the eyes of a special young boy called Jimmy Flick, who is unlike most children. Jimmy sees the world in fast forward, behavioural problems mark him as a difficult child who connects only with his mother Paula and canine friend Ned. Sofie Laguna has created a story brimming with love and compassion, of a family with the trauma of abuse and addiction. Family dynamics are explored here tenderly and with a childlike wonder that is poignant, and for me very memorable.
