The New Policeman

by Kate Thompson
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A wonderfully intriguing story going right to the heart of Irish magic, folklore and music, from the twice honoured recipient of the Irish Children`s Book of the Year Bisto Award.

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Synopsis

Everyone in Kinvara is conscious that time is flying past, faster and faster - to such an extent that when JJ asks his mother what she would like as a birthday present she ask for more time. JJ dismisses this as mere wishful thinking, an impossibility, for who know where the time goes? The Liddys have been musicians for generations and JJ is no exception but what he discovers is that a shadow from the past hangs over their family - did his great-grandfather murder the village priest? When he sets out to buy his mother time, he discovers the fate of a flute which will provide the key to both problems - it is the vital clue. He makes the transition to Tir na n'Og, the land of eternal youth, where the fairy people are also having a problem with time and it falls to his lot to locate the leak between the two parallel worlds. JJ finds where time goes! Music proves to be the touchstone for communication between the fairy and the human domains and the book is saturated with the lure of Irish music for JJ`s whole existence is built round the ceili and each chapter relates to a tune, printed out as a heading so that the reader can also become a performer. As for The New Policeman, Larry O'Dwyer, he is an enigmatic figure who has a significant bearing on the plot but whose identity is kept a superbly guarded secret to the very last surprising moment.

Editorial Reviews

"'If you buy nothing else for your children (or yourself) this summer, buy Kate Thompson's The New Policeman...witty, entrancingly romantic and rooted in an ancient Celtic myth, this is a parable about not having enough time which hits hard - and perfectly suits our hectic age.'" - Christina Hardyment, Independent

"`A storyteller of genius'" - Irish Times

"'A story full of surprises, magic and a delicately balanced internal logic.'" - Julia Eccleshare, Guardian

"'A beautifully original book...an impressive novel.'" - Independent

"`Daring and accomplished'" - Books for Keeps

"If there is one thing we all need more of it's time and The New Policeman by Kate Thompson explores just where our time goes." - Children's Bookseller Supplement

"'Kate Thompson's work always surprises with its inventiveness and sheer quality of her writing...at times dark, daring and subversive, at times sheer fun...this book breaks new ground and should become a classic.'" - Inis

"'A wonderfully enjoyable and enlightening read...not only a superb detective novel and work of fiction for young and old alike, but a vessel for the nature of Irish heritage, its rich music and myths, legends and magic.'" - School Librarian

"Article about Guardian Children's Fiction Prize longlist" - The Bookseller

"'Whilst numerous children's novelists have drawn on the richness of Irish myth, legend and folklore...few have managed to do so with the skill, wit and mischief which characterise Kate Thompson's The New Policeman...elegantly paced and cleverly structured.'" - Irish Times

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