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A Boy Called Hope
Since his dad ran off with the lady from the chip shop, Dan Hope's life has gone a bit topsy-turvy. So Dan decides to sort out his messy, muddled, madcap family, starting with getting his dad back. But as one genius plan after another goes pear-shaped, Dan starts to realize that your real family aren't always the people you share your name with.
304 pages, ebook
First published March 1, 2014
104 people are currently reading
1597 people want to read
About the author
Lara Williamson
8 books94 followersLara Williamson is currently attached to her computer keyboard in London. Before this she studied Fashion Design and was attached to a sewing machine in Northern Ireland. Her début MG novel A BOY CALLED HOPE will come out on March 1st 2014. Meanwhile, she is spelling out exciting words in potato alphabet shapes, looking at Uranus, thinking of zombie dogs and counting the days until she can tell everyone she is a proper author.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 206 reviews
May 5, 2022
A warm and moving middle grade novel about a boy trying to make sense of his world. Dan just wants things to be as they were before and if he could just reconnect with his father this would happen. Life in all it's messiness conspires to prevent this from a happening. A lovely story that focuses on the fact that family is often about love, not biology.
June 16, 2017
A wonderful warm, funny, quirky and at times sad story of Dan and his search to find his Dad. The story is told from Dan's point of view which is laugh out loud funny at times and sad at others. Dan is a great character who sees life in a quirky humorous way. His journey is filled with a cast of friends, family and other characters who add to the colourful tale.
A great read and I would definitely recommend it. Any book that can make me laugh and cry is a winner for me.
A great read and I would definitely recommend it. Any book that can make me laugh and cry is a winner for me.
August 24, 2016
Beklediğimden daha iyiydi aslında. Kolayca okunan akıcı ve eğlenceli bi kitap :')
June 8, 2019
Çok özel ve güzel bir kitaptın :(
June 17, 2015
This is a story about an eleven year old boy, Dan Hope, seeking his estranged father who left the family home for another woman several years earlier. The father has had no contact with his son or the rest of the family since he left but Dan is forever hopeful he can still have a relationship with his dad. Dan’s older sister Grace is a great counterbalance to Dan’s naïve belief that their dad will return and all will be well.
Ms Williamson has an excellent writing style with a focus on pertinent descriptions—just sufficient to allow the reader to visualise the scene—emotional responses to the many and varied situations Dan finds himself in, and the action/reaction interplay of a young, nearly teenager boy, trying to make sense of his world. Written in the first person, Ms Williamson incorporates a great device – clichés – so we see a mainly humorous world through Dan’s eyes in which he tries to make sense of absurd phrases grownups take for granted.
Although written for young pre-teenage boys the story is a worthy read for children and adults alike, and has a theme ‘a little bit of hope can go a long way,’ which is relevant to everyone.
This is Ms Williamson’s debut novel. And rightly, she has received a lot of success and well deserved accolades, though for her next book ‘The Boy Who Sailed the Ocean in an Armchair,’ she has set the bar very high.
A thoroughly enjoyable read.
Ms Williamson has an excellent writing style with a focus on pertinent descriptions—just sufficient to allow the reader to visualise the scene—emotional responses to the many and varied situations Dan finds himself in, and the action/reaction interplay of a young, nearly teenager boy, trying to make sense of his world. Written in the first person, Ms Williamson incorporates a great device – clichés – so we see a mainly humorous world through Dan’s eyes in which he tries to make sense of absurd phrases grownups take for granted.
Although written for young pre-teenage boys the story is a worthy read for children and adults alike, and has a theme ‘a little bit of hope can go a long way,’ which is relevant to everyone.
This is Ms Williamson’s debut novel. And rightly, she has received a lot of success and well deserved accolades, though for her next book ‘The Boy Who Sailed the Ocean in an Armchair,’ she has set the bar very high.
A thoroughly enjoyable read.
October 19, 2016
"You didn't tell me you were dying. I wish you had. I wanted to say goodbye. This is the thing that hurts the most."
October 11, 2016
Sonunda Bir Kalp Bin Umut'u bitirdim. Kitabı alıp almama konusunda kararsızsanız bence almaya karar vermelisiniz.
Ben çok ama çok sevdim. Kitap güldürürken hüzünlendiren cinsten.
Kitap 11 yaşındaki Dan Hope'un samimi ve eğlenceli diliyle yazılmış. Daha önce de çocuk karakterlerin anlattığı kitaplar okudum ama sanki bu sefer gerçekten 11 yaşındaki bir çocuk yazmış gibiydi.
Dan bir gün televizyon izlerken 7 yaşındayken onu terketmiş olan babasının hava durumu sunucusu olduğunu görüyor. Ve yıllardır içinde sakladığı baba özlemi ayyuka çıkıyor. Bu sebeple babasına mail atmaya karar veriyor ama bir türlü babasına ulaşamıyor. Dan babasına ulaşmak için Baskerville Operayonunu başlatıyor ama bunun yanı sıra annesinin sevgilisi Koca Dave'in kolundaki Caroline 1973 dövmesi için Reinbach Operasyonu ile de uğraşmak zorunda.
Kitabın dili son derece akıcı ve sade. Mizah seviyesi gayet iyi. Ağlattığı kısımları saymıyorum bile. EVET AĞLADIM. Gerçi her şeye ağlayan bir insan olduğum için bu bir referans sayılmayabilir. Kitap bize umudu aşılamak üzerine kurulu. Hayallerinizin elbet bir gün gerçekleşeceği ile ilgili. Her zaman sizin istediğiniz şekilde olmasa da. Umuda sahip olmanın ne kadar önemli olduğunu ve bir şeylerin iyiye gitmeden önce olabildiğince karanlığa gömüleceğimizi anlatıyor. Yazarın da Dan Hope'a söylediği gibi "Hayat bazen kolay değil. Gökkuşağını görmeden önce yağmuru duymamız gerekiyor. "
Okumanızı önerdiğim bir kitap. Keyifli okumalar ☺️
Ben çok ama çok sevdim. Kitap güldürürken hüzünlendiren cinsten.
Kitap 11 yaşındaki Dan Hope'un samimi ve eğlenceli diliyle yazılmış. Daha önce de çocuk karakterlerin anlattığı kitaplar okudum ama sanki bu sefer gerçekten 11 yaşındaki bir çocuk yazmış gibiydi.
Dan bir gün televizyon izlerken 7 yaşındayken onu terketmiş olan babasının hava durumu sunucusu olduğunu görüyor. Ve yıllardır içinde sakladığı baba özlemi ayyuka çıkıyor. Bu sebeple babasına mail atmaya karar veriyor ama bir türlü babasına ulaşamıyor. Dan babasına ulaşmak için Baskerville Operayonunu başlatıyor ama bunun yanı sıra annesinin sevgilisi Koca Dave'in kolundaki Caroline 1973 dövmesi için Reinbach Operasyonu ile de uğraşmak zorunda.
Kitabın dili son derece akıcı ve sade. Mizah seviyesi gayet iyi. Ağlattığı kısımları saymıyorum bile. EVET AĞLADIM. Gerçi her şeye ağlayan bir insan olduğum için bu bir referans sayılmayabilir. Kitap bize umudu aşılamak üzerine kurulu. Hayallerinizin elbet bir gün gerçekleşeceği ile ilgili. Her zaman sizin istediğiniz şekilde olmasa da. Umuda sahip olmanın ne kadar önemli olduğunu ve bir şeylerin iyiye gitmeden önce olabildiğince karanlığa gömüleceğimizi anlatıyor. Yazarın da Dan Hope'a söylediği gibi "Hayat bazen kolay değil. Gökkuşağını görmeden önce yağmuru duymamız gerekiyor. "
Okumanızı önerdiğim bir kitap. Keyifli okumalar ☺️
June 23, 2017
Oğlanın soyadı Hope'dur. Sonuncu səhifəyə qədər özündə ümidi qoruyub saxlayan personaj üçün ideal soyaddır. Bu kitabı elə belə də adlandıraq, burada da qalsın : "Hope"
February 8, 2017
1.5 stars.
Weeeeeeeeell … It’s not terrible, per se, it just definitely wasn’t for me. And I had to practice calming breathing exercises way too often and rolled my eyes way too much to rate it higher. Also, no spoiler tags, as that is way too much work, and would result in half this review being hidden.
1. Dan Hope, the protagonist, who is supposed to be eleven, but sounds like he’s closer to six or seven. Granted, I don’t know a whole lot about children, so I could be off about that. All I know is that he sounds way more like Jack from Room than Harry Potter or Percy Jackson. Funny thing is, I think I’d have been more forgiving if Dan had been younger. Because Dan has some really odd views. He’s also incredibly dense. Like, there were things Dan just wouldn’t get that were really obvious to me. The fact that his mom is pregnant, for example. Or that he didn’t take the Sherlock Holmes book to show and tell if it was his dad’s and it meant so much to him.
2. Loyalty to an absent parent.
I just don’t get it, okay? Family isn’t blood. Family is a title that should have to be earned. Just because someone is related to you by blood, does not mean that they have any right to be in your life if they have not earned a place there. And the frustrating thing about A Boy Called Hope is that Dan thinks his dad is some kind of hero, even though he walked out on the family years ago, never to be heard from or seen again. He walked out on his wife, and his children, dropping them like a hot iron. Rewinding his life, pretending like they never happened. What a coward he must be.
Of course, Dan’s dad conveniently dies, which I think was supposed to make me feel like this:
But made me feel like this:
And then this:
Because, seriously, that’s the suckiest ending to an absent-parent story ever, in my opinion. Because by dying, Dan’s dad will stay this unobtainable idol for him forever. Dan doesn’t move on. He doesn’t realise that his father is a coward who should never have had children. He doesn’t realise that his father is not a hero. He doesn’t realise that his father is not worth a single, fleeting thought. On the contrary, in the concluding letter Dan writes to his dad, he still doesn’t see this man’s flaws. And he still thinks his dad loved him. Ugh.
3. The supporting cast:
a. Dan’s sister, Ninja Grace. Well, not so much Ninja Grace (I don’t actually mind her), as the way Dan talks about her. It’s very … yeah, no, it’s sexist. I can’t think of a better word for it. And I know he’s eleven, and I know that I probably thought like that when I was younger, too, because, man, society is messed up. But that doesn’t mean that sort of thinking and behaviour has to be reinforced and perpetuated like that. I think books play a very important role in educating us about another’s point of view. Books are supposed to open our eyes to another’s suffering; they’re supposed to build empathy. A Boy Called Hope doesn’t. Or at least not for the ones that are, in my mind, the right people. The way it’s written, it seems to me like you’re supposed to find pity and build understanding for the father, who doesn’t deserve it. And that’s all the more sad seeing as this could be considered children’s fiction.
b. Dan’s mother and her boyfriend, Big Dave. I don’t want to judge other people’s relationships (and yet, I still do), but I don’t think this is a very healthy example. There isn’t any obvious abuse (however, seeing how oblivious Dan is, who knows), but there’s still trust issues. Dan’s mom believes her idiot children over her boyfriend. Not to mention that this whole conflict didn’t even need to happen, as Dave could have easily explained everything.
Also, Dan’s mother says this:
And, honestly, all I could think was
because, seriously, he does not. She’s just making excuses for that asshat, and I can’t abide it. Because this sort of behaviour is not excusable, especially if the asshat in question does nothing to rectify it.
c. Dan’s twin baby sisters, Hope and Faith. I’m not kidding, they actually named those kids that. Even though their surname is Hope. Which I assume means they took Big Dave’s last name.
In any way, there is something that bothers me about this whole thing: The way I read it, it seems to me that neither Dan’s family nor Big Dave are particularly wealthy. So I do have to wonder how that whole twin thing is going to work out. Like, it’s not just one baby, it’s two. And I’m pretty sure children are expensive. Not to mention that the Hope’s house is small, from what I gathered. So small that Dan and Christopher will have to share a (small) room. So, where are those twins going to sleep again?
Look, I know I come from a privileged position when I say this, but having children should also be a financial decision. It is not smart to have another child when you can barely afford the ones you already have.
d. Dan’s weirdly religious friend, Jo. Like I said in my review of the Bible, I seriously do not care about what other people believe. What I neglected to mention is that the sort of overly religious behaviour Jo exhibits still makes my skin crawl. It annoys me, because I do not understand it. But that doesn’t matter. Jo can believe in gnomes and trolls, for all I care, but she strikes me as one of those people who try to force their beliefs on others. Like Dan. I’m guessing she was only trying to help, but still … like I said, it makes my skin crawl.
e. Dan’s weirdly bland friend and future step-brother, Christopher. Yeah, I can’t say I got much from him. I did wonder for a while if he was gay and actually in love with Dan rather than Jo, but that didn’t happen, so never mind.
4. The narrator on the audiobook is bloody awful. I mean, I get what he was trying to do, but it’s just way too much. And I think he may have contributed to my perceived gap between how old Dan is, and how old he sounds.
5. A Boy Called Hope is set in the UK, and well … the UK is all kinds of messed up right now, which has ruined my appreciation for the country, to be honest, and, at the moment, I’d just rather pretend the UK didn’t even exist. Not the book’s fault, but it didn’t help, either.
Conclusion: While A Boy Called Hope isn’t abysmally bad, at least not in terms of writing, it very much isn’t for me, and there are very many problematic themes and conclusions in it. Perhaps I’m misinterpreting the author’s intentions, but from the way it ends, I don’t think I am.
Weeeeeeeeell … It’s not terrible, per se, it just definitely wasn’t for me. And I had to practice calming breathing exercises way too often and rolled my eyes way too much to rate it higher. Also, no spoiler tags, as that is way too much work, and would result in half this review being hidden.
1. Dan Hope, the protagonist, who is supposed to be eleven, but sounds like he’s closer to six or seven. Granted, I don’t know a whole lot about children, so I could be off about that. All I know is that he sounds way more like Jack from Room than Harry Potter or Percy Jackson. Funny thing is, I think I’d have been more forgiving if Dan had been younger. Because Dan has some really odd views. He’s also incredibly dense. Like, there were things Dan just wouldn’t get that were really obvious to me. The fact that his mom is pregnant, for example. Or that he didn’t take the Sherlock Holmes book to show and tell if it was his dad’s and it meant so much to him.
2. Loyalty to an absent parent.
I just don’t get it, okay? Family isn’t blood. Family is a title that should have to be earned. Just because someone is related to you by blood, does not mean that they have any right to be in your life if they have not earned a place there. And the frustrating thing about A Boy Called Hope is that Dan thinks his dad is some kind of hero, even though he walked out on the family years ago, never to be heard from or seen again. He walked out on his wife, and his children, dropping them like a hot iron. Rewinding his life, pretending like they never happened. What a coward he must be.
Of course, Dan’s dad conveniently dies, which I think was supposed to make me feel like this:
But made me feel like this:
And then this:
Because, seriously, that’s the suckiest ending to an absent-parent story ever, in my opinion. Because by dying, Dan’s dad will stay this unobtainable idol for him forever. Dan doesn’t move on. He doesn’t realise that his father is a coward who should never have had children. He doesn’t realise that his father is not a hero. He doesn’t realise that his father is not worth a single, fleeting thought. On the contrary, in the concluding letter Dan writes to his dad, he still doesn’t see this man’s flaws. And he still thinks his dad loved him. Ugh.
3. The supporting cast:
a. Dan’s sister, Ninja Grace. Well, not so much Ninja Grace (I don’t actually mind her), as the way Dan talks about her. It’s very … yeah, no, it’s sexist. I can’t think of a better word for it. And I know he’s eleven, and I know that I probably thought like that when I was younger, too, because, man, society is messed up. But that doesn’t mean that sort of thinking and behaviour has to be reinforced and perpetuated like that. I think books play a very important role in educating us about another’s point of view. Books are supposed to open our eyes to another’s suffering; they’re supposed to build empathy. A Boy Called Hope doesn’t. Or at least not for the ones that are, in my mind, the right people. The way it’s written, it seems to me like you’re supposed to find pity and build understanding for the father, who doesn’t deserve it. And that’s all the more sad seeing as this could be considered children’s fiction.
b. Dan’s mother and her boyfriend, Big Dave. I don’t want to judge other people’s relationships (and yet, I still do), but I don’t think this is a very healthy example. There isn’t any obvious abuse (however, seeing how oblivious Dan is, who knows), but there’s still trust issues. Dan’s mom believes her idiot children over her boyfriend. Not to mention that this whole conflict didn’t even need to happen, as Dave could have easily explained everything.
Also, Dan’s mother says this:
Dad loved you before and still loves you now, in his own way.
And, honestly, all I could think was
because, seriously, he does not. She’s just making excuses for that asshat, and I can’t abide it. Because this sort of behaviour is not excusable, especially if the asshat in question does nothing to rectify it.
c. Dan’s twin baby sisters, Hope and Faith. I’m not kidding, they actually named those kids that. Even though their surname is Hope. Which I assume means they took Big Dave’s last name.
In any way, there is something that bothers me about this whole thing: The way I read it, it seems to me that neither Dan’s family nor Big Dave are particularly wealthy. So I do have to wonder how that whole twin thing is going to work out. Like, it’s not just one baby, it’s two. And I’m pretty sure children are expensive. Not to mention that the Hope’s house is small, from what I gathered. So small that Dan and Christopher will have to share a (small) room. So, where are those twins going to sleep again?
Look, I know I come from a privileged position when I say this, but having children should also be a financial decision. It is not smart to have another child when you can barely afford the ones you already have.
d. Dan’s weirdly religious friend, Jo. Like I said in my review of the Bible, I seriously do not care about what other people believe. What I neglected to mention is that the sort of overly religious behaviour Jo exhibits still makes my skin crawl. It annoys me, because I do not understand it. But that doesn’t matter. Jo can believe in gnomes and trolls, for all I care, but she strikes me as one of those people who try to force their beliefs on others. Like Dan. I’m guessing she was only trying to help, but still … like I said, it makes my skin crawl.
e. Dan’s weirdly bland friend and future step-brother, Christopher. Yeah, I can’t say I got much from him. I did wonder for a while if he was gay and actually in love with Dan rather than Jo, but that didn’t happen, so never mind.
4. The narrator on the audiobook is bloody awful. I mean, I get what he was trying to do, but it’s just way too much. And I think he may have contributed to my perceived gap between how old Dan is, and how old he sounds.
5. A Boy Called Hope is set in the UK, and well … the UK is all kinds of messed up right now, which has ruined my appreciation for the country, to be honest, and, at the moment, I’d just rather pretend the UK didn’t even exist. Not the book’s fault, but it didn’t help, either.
Conclusion: While A Boy Called Hope isn’t abysmally bad, at least not in terms of writing, it very much isn’t for me, and there are very many problematic themes and conclusions in it. Perhaps I’m misinterpreting the author’s intentions, but from the way it ends, I don’t think I am.
January 29, 2024
Narrated in the first person, by 11 year old Dan. Sad at times, funny at other times and ultimately full of hope. Love Big Dave!
April 2, 2014
Dan Hope sees his dad on TV one day, a new local newsreader. It's the first time he's seen him in four years. It presses him into trying to get in touch and get him to want him again -nothing's been the same since he left them. His older sister is mean and spiky, he's missing him. His mother has a new boyfriend though. Big Dave. Dan can't decide whether he likes him or if he doesn't trust him, like his sister Grace.
At the start I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy this - some silly punning out me off initially. But soon I started falling for Dan's sweet naïveté and smarts mixed together. He's a funny chap. With an eccentric and likeable family.
It's a lovely story - about Dan at school, about Dan trying to find his dad and feel loved by him. It's also about making your own family from those around you that you connect with. There's a lovely plot about Dan and his friend a Christopher falling out but finally being there for each other. I wasn't keen on the plot line with a friend obsessed with saints and relics - didn't ring true for an eleven-year-old or feel at all necessary to the story.
There's little twists as we go along - nothing the reader can't see coming a mile away, but all a surprise to Dan - and it makes for a fun family story. It's very funny with some emotional moments and memorable characters (Big Dave is lovely, Grace is a lot of fun). It's also not a long read, good for 9-13 year olds.
At the start I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy this - some silly punning out me off initially. But soon I started falling for Dan's sweet naïveté and smarts mixed together. He's a funny chap. With an eccentric and likeable family.
It's a lovely story - about Dan at school, about Dan trying to find his dad and feel loved by him. It's also about making your own family from those around you that you connect with. There's a lovely plot about Dan and his friend a Christopher falling out but finally being there for each other. I wasn't keen on the plot line with a friend obsessed with saints and relics - didn't ring true for an eleven-year-old or feel at all necessary to the story.
There's little twists as we go along - nothing the reader can't see coming a mile away, but all a surprise to Dan - and it makes for a fun family story. It's very funny with some emotional moments and memorable characters (Big Dave is lovely, Grace is a lot of fun). It's also not a long read, good for 9-13 year olds.
December 1, 2013
I read ‘A Boy Called Hope’ from start to finish one chilly Sunday afternoon and it warmed me from the tips of my toes to the depths of my heart. Dan Hope is a small kid who dreams big. He’s got a unique way of seeing the world – nothing goes by unnoticed, and his naïve charm is often hilariously insightful. Dan’s family can be a bit bonkers – his sister’s got a sharper tongue than a Samurai’s sword, and is always putting Dan in his place. His dog will eat anything – literally – and his mum’s boyfriend, Big Dave, has got a weird tattoo that Dan can’t work out. All of this makes Dan who he is – a dreamer, an adventurer and restlessly inquisitive. This book is funny, exciting, moving, sensitive, and above all, full of hope. I think everyone should read it! Discover how the Dan’s seemingly ordinary life turns into something extraordinary.
July 21, 2017
Gerçekten çok garip bir kitaptı. Kahkaha attığım yerler de oldu, gözlerimin dolduğu yerlerde. Hatta sonlarında birkaç gözyaşı akıtmış olabilirim :')
Ayrıca çok akıcı bir dili olduğunu da söylemeden edemeyeceğim. Bir günde bitti.
Ama biraz hayal kırıklığına uğradığımı söylesem yalan olmaz. Beklentilerimi tam karşılamadı çünkü. Ben daha hüzünlü bir kitap bekliyordum. Ama eğer böyle bir şey beklemeseydim hayal kırıklığına da uğramazdım.
Dan'in düşüncelerini okurken her olumsuz olayda umudunu yitirmediğini görmek beni çok şaşırttı ve ayrıca hüzünlendirdi.
En başından beri olmayacak şeyleri sonuna kadar umut etti, Dan. Ve onun düşüncelerini okumak gerçekten harikaydı.
--
"Benimle birlikte yıldızların arasında koşuyormuş gibi yapan bir babam olmasını diledim."
Ayrıca çok akıcı bir dili olduğunu da söylemeden edemeyeceğim. Bir günde bitti.
Ama biraz hayal kırıklığına uğradığımı söylesem yalan olmaz. Beklentilerimi tam karşılamadı çünkü. Ben daha hüzünlü bir kitap bekliyordum. Ama eğer böyle bir şey beklemeseydim hayal kırıklığına da uğramazdım.
Dan'in düşüncelerini okurken her olumsuz olayda umudunu yitirmediğini görmek beni çok şaşırttı ve ayrıca hüzünlendirdi.
En başından beri olmayacak şeyleri sonuna kadar umut etti, Dan. Ve onun düşüncelerini okumak gerçekten harikaydı.
--
"Benimle birlikte yıldızların arasında koşuyormuş gibi yapan bir babam olmasını diledim."
November 29, 2015
I gave this book a 4.5
I really liked the story and fell in love with the characters but at times the story became a little unrealistic!
I really liked the story and fell in love with the characters but at times the story became a little unrealistic!
July 2, 2023
This book felt off for me, it was very sad at times and had a few parts that were emptional, the book as a whole though seemed like it was sending a rather warped message. I read this book as a buddy read and I am so glad as I was able to discus the story as it developed and changed. Dan spends the entire series absoloutly obsessed with his Dad who abandoned his family including a 7 year old Dan. Dan's biological father cut all contact with his family not even sending christmas or birthday cards ||and at one point when Dan tried to visit literally ran away and told his assistant he didnt even know that kid|| and then Dan is told by his mum that his Dad still loves him? That someone who loves you can treat you like complete trash, something easily disposed of and forgotten about seems like an odd message to send out to young impressionable minds. Now I dont think Dan's mum should have badmouthed his dad or anything but there had to be a better way to address this than that surely. His Mum also didnt seem to notice the obsession growing even though Dan didn't seem even a little subtle while watching his Dad on the TV and stuff, there should have been a conversation wayy earlier. Now, on to the bits I did like, I liked how the mum and stepdad handled their relationship, taking it slowly, especially where the kids were concerned, Dave really wanted a relationship with Dan and Grace but didn't push too hard and ||he covered for Dan too||. I also really appreciated that when ||Christopher told his dad that he wasnt read to meet everyone yet Dave was immediately like yup, no problem, take your time, it was so considerate||. I really feel like this book could have been so much better. ||The fact the only reason Dans obsession with his dad ended is because his Dad literrally died|| just seems like lazy writing. Iwwould have rated the book higher if it had ended at the end of chapter 23, add in a little bit about family maybe but other than that ending with the ||boys about to start their new adventure together|| would have been more what I was expecting from this book
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 23, 2019
Чарівний більше "янг", ніж "едалт" про хлопчика Дена на прізвище Хоуп, який має багато мрій, але, звісно, не всім з них дано справдитися. Найголовніша мрія Дена - це щоб повернувся тато, або хоча б щоб його любив, бо чотири роки минуло, а батько так і не прийшов ні до сина, ні до старшої доньки і вони обоє по-своєму але дуже через це страждають.
Паралельно тут і оповідь про маму і її нового хлопця, і про собаку Чарльза Скеллібоунза, і про дивакувату подругу зі школи, яка збирає святі реліквії, як-от шматок тканини, яка торкнулася людини, яка цілувала ноги статуї якоїсь там святої, і про нового друга, який сумує без мами - словом, в книжці намішано все, а ще виникає відчуття, що головний герой трохи аутист, але від цих деталей хочеться не втекти, а навпаки зануритися глибше і нічого не пропустити.
Чи можливо прощати, сумувати і любити водночас? Особливо, коли мова йде про дуже рідну людину, яка чомусь взяла і тебе покинула і з цим треба жити? Ден Хоуп обов'язково розбереться, а разом з ним і ви - я б радила прочитати цю книжку кожному!
Паралельно тут і оповідь про маму і її нового хлопця, і про собаку Чарльза Скеллібоунза, і про дивакувату подругу зі школи, яка збирає святі реліквії, як-от шматок тканини, яка торкнулася людини, яка цілувала ноги статуї якоїсь там святої, і про нового друга, який сумує без мами - словом, в книжці намішано все, а ще виникає відчуття, що головний герой трохи аутист, але від цих деталей хочеться не втекти, а навпаки зануритися глибше і нічого не пропустити.
Чи можливо прощати, сумувати і любити водночас? Особливо, коли мова йде про дуже рідну людину, яка чомусь взяла і тебе покинула і з цим треба жити? Ден Хоуп обов'язково розбереться, а разом з ним і ви - я б радила прочитати цю книжку кожному!
April 12, 2021
Сумна і водночас весела історія про 11-річного хлопчика Дена Гоупа.
⠀
Про мрії, які мали б обов’язково збутися.
Про сім’ї, які часто розпадаються, й батьків, які лишають дітей.
Про дитячу віру, яка міцна й водночас дуже крихка.
Про прощення.
⠀
Про дружбу, святих покровителів на кожний випадок і собачку зі слабким шлунком))
⠀
Книжка світла, й навіть трохи дитяча, хоч основна тема тут складна.
Роздуми Дена, іноді по-дитячому милі й зворушливі, а іноді аж занадто дорослі, як для 11-річної дитини.
⠀
Про мрії, які мали б обов’язково збутися.
Про сім’ї, які часто розпадаються, й батьків, які лишають дітей.
Про дитячу віру, яка міцна й водночас дуже крихка.
Про прощення.
⠀
Про дружбу, святих покровителів на кожний випадок і собачку зі слабким шлунком))
⠀
Книжка світла, й навіть трохи дитяча, хоч основна тема тут складна.
Роздуми Дена, іноді по-дитячому милі й зворушливі, а іноді аж занадто дорослі, як для 11-річної дитини.
April 11, 2020
This book is utterly OUTSTANDING! The quality of Lara’s writing blow me away! I simply LOVED this book! Dan, the main character, came alive throughout the pages of this book, I felt what he was feeling! I honestly can’t rate this book enough! You should read it!!
September 30, 2018
Fantastic, realistic book about family and the ties that bind us. Loved this as with everything else Lara Williamson has written!
October 16, 2019
I thought this book was beautiful and moving but it was very predictable and full of cliches!
November 22, 2019
Очень смешная, грустная и, пожалуй, не совсем детская книга.
Одна из лучших вещей, прочитанных в этом году.
Одна из лучших вещей, прочитанных в этом году.
Read
December 2, 2020my friend told me to read this! i recommend it I love when he got distracted multiple times
December 5, 2014
Moontrug loves a good book blurb and get this for the back of Lara Williamson’s debut book for 8-12s: “I’m Dan Hope, and deep inside my head I keep a list of things I want to come true. For example, I want my sister, Ninja Grace, to go to university at the North Pole and only come back once a year. I want to help Sherlock Holmes solve his most daring mystery yet. And if it could be a zombie mystery, all the more exciting. I want to be the first eleven-year-old to land on the moon. I want my dog to stop eating the planets and throwing them up on the carpet. And finally, the biggest dream of all, I want my Dad to love me.” WOW.
A Boy Called Hope is a brilliantly funny and touching insight into the life of eleven-year-old Dan Hope – a character so awesomely cool he stays with you long after reading the last page… Since the day Dan’s Dad walked out (to be with Busty Babs), Dan has had to cope at home with just his Mum and sister. But when Dan flicks on the TV and sees his father presenting the news, a spark of hope kindles inside him: maybe, just maybe, he can win his father back. A pretty ENORMOUS task but if you’re as courageous and hopeful as Dan, you’ve got to give it a shot…
The book is packed full of original characters. Take Jo, one of Dan’s friends at school, whose obsession with the saints (she makes rosary beads from the ‘tears of baby unicorns’!) is both endearing and brilliantly funny: ‘Jo admitted that Saint Francis of Assisi would have loved the hamster, even if it had a stupid name… Christopher said he wanted to know more about Jo’s saints and asked her to go through the alphabet, naming a saint for every letter. Jo thought about it for a moment and replied, “Is this a holy wind-up?”‘ And perhaps one of the loveliest expressions in the book comes from saint-loving Jo: ‘Feathers are angels’ calling cards. It means the dead person is up there and looking after you and they’re sending you a white feather to let you know that everything will be okay.’ Although Dan replies with, ‘Jo, I hate to break this to you, but feathers come from birds’ bums,’ perhaps by the end of the book he’ll have changed his mind…
Dan’s reading of situations (or rather his mis-reading of situations) leads to some of the funniest moments in the book. And as he tips folic acid into the orange juice in an attempt to understand The Club, you can’t help but laugh: ‘I appear to have poisoned my mother.’ He’s a truly original protagonist and has something of Sam McQueen in him from Sally Nicholls’ wonderful Ways To Live Forever. At times he is amusingly eloquent (even if he realises he sounds ridiculous): ‘Okay, I’d better go now anyway because Mum is serving snails for dinner and I can’t be late’ and then at other times he’s just a young boy desperately missing his Dad: ‘Music puddles into the dark corners of my bedroom and I play until my fingers ache and I have to stop.’ The book captures so realistically the hugeness of emotions that go on inside children: their capacity for hope but also their need for love and attention.
The plot bounds along with Dan offering up some of the best one-liners children’s books have to offer: ‘I AM HAPPY WITH MY BEHIND,’ ‘Nothing good can come of watching people in dressing gowns’ and ‘No good story has a main character called Graham’ but above all, Dan is absolutely endearing. There is often such a huge (and amusing) gap between his intentions and the actual outcome of events that you can’t help falling for him. In fact, Moontrug could spend hours and hours wandering around inside Dan’s mind – it’s full of magical things like sky lanterns, stars, zombies and rainbows – and hardly any common sense (proper Moontruggy stuff). A Boy Called Hope is a truly fantastic book and its message of hope and courage when life doesn’t pan out as planned is one of the strongest Moontrug has read in a long while. DEFINITELY worth a read and deserving of its place in Moontrug’s Altocumulus Tower. I mean, any book that teaches you to cycle an imaginary air bicycle through the stars is bound to win you over… That, and the dog called Charles Scallybones.
A Boy Called Hope is a brilliantly funny and touching insight into the life of eleven-year-old Dan Hope – a character so awesomely cool he stays with you long after reading the last page… Since the day Dan’s Dad walked out (to be with Busty Babs), Dan has had to cope at home with just his Mum and sister. But when Dan flicks on the TV and sees his father presenting the news, a spark of hope kindles inside him: maybe, just maybe, he can win his father back. A pretty ENORMOUS task but if you’re as courageous and hopeful as Dan, you’ve got to give it a shot…
The book is packed full of original characters. Take Jo, one of Dan’s friends at school, whose obsession with the saints (she makes rosary beads from the ‘tears of baby unicorns’!) is both endearing and brilliantly funny: ‘Jo admitted that Saint Francis of Assisi would have loved the hamster, even if it had a stupid name… Christopher said he wanted to know more about Jo’s saints and asked her to go through the alphabet, naming a saint for every letter. Jo thought about it for a moment and replied, “Is this a holy wind-up?”‘ And perhaps one of the loveliest expressions in the book comes from saint-loving Jo: ‘Feathers are angels’ calling cards. It means the dead person is up there and looking after you and they’re sending you a white feather to let you know that everything will be okay.’ Although Dan replies with, ‘Jo, I hate to break this to you, but feathers come from birds’ bums,’ perhaps by the end of the book he’ll have changed his mind…
Dan’s reading of situations (or rather his mis-reading of situations) leads to some of the funniest moments in the book. And as he tips folic acid into the orange juice in an attempt to understand The Club, you can’t help but laugh: ‘I appear to have poisoned my mother.’ He’s a truly original protagonist and has something of Sam McQueen in him from Sally Nicholls’ wonderful Ways To Live Forever. At times he is amusingly eloquent (even if he realises he sounds ridiculous): ‘Okay, I’d better go now anyway because Mum is serving snails for dinner and I can’t be late’ and then at other times he’s just a young boy desperately missing his Dad: ‘Music puddles into the dark corners of my bedroom and I play until my fingers ache and I have to stop.’ The book captures so realistically the hugeness of emotions that go on inside children: their capacity for hope but also their need for love and attention.
The plot bounds along with Dan offering up some of the best one-liners children’s books have to offer: ‘I AM HAPPY WITH MY BEHIND,’ ‘Nothing good can come of watching people in dressing gowns’ and ‘No good story has a main character called Graham’ but above all, Dan is absolutely endearing. There is often such a huge (and amusing) gap between his intentions and the actual outcome of events that you can’t help falling for him. In fact, Moontrug could spend hours and hours wandering around inside Dan’s mind – it’s full of magical things like sky lanterns, stars, zombies and rainbows – and hardly any common sense (proper Moontruggy stuff). A Boy Called Hope is a truly fantastic book and its message of hope and courage when life doesn’t pan out as planned is one of the strongest Moontrug has read in a long while. DEFINITELY worth a read and deserving of its place in Moontrug’s Altocumulus Tower. I mean, any book that teaches you to cycle an imaginary air bicycle through the stars is bound to win you over… That, and the dog called Charles Scallybones.
March 1, 2017
When 11 year old Dan Hope sees his father for the first time in four years, on TV, he sets out on a quest to reunited his family only to find that he was with his true family all the time.
This is a fun story. Dan's relationship with his sister, 'Ninja Grace', his mum and stepfather, Dave are all nicely don as is his desire to get his father (who ran off with 'Babs' from the chip shop) back in his life. I love the way, written in the first person, we see the world through Dan's eye including the simple ways in which children often view the world and how the complexities of adult life and relationships pass them by. The end is quite sad in some ways, uplifting in others as Dan discovers that he was with his real dad all the time. It's not a story with a clear antagonist, there's no 'bad guy'. The reader follows Dan on his journey, wrapped-up in his desires and schemes as these are explored as themes. It's quite funny in places and Dan Hope is a very likeable character.
This is a fun story. Dan's relationship with his sister, 'Ninja Grace', his mum and stepfather, Dave are all nicely don as is his desire to get his father (who ran off with 'Babs' from the chip shop) back in his life. I love the way, written in the first person, we see the world through Dan's eye including the simple ways in which children often view the world and how the complexities of adult life and relationships pass them by. The end is quite sad in some ways, uplifting in others as Dan discovers that he was with his real dad all the time. It's not a story with a clear antagonist, there's no 'bad guy'. The reader follows Dan on his journey, wrapped-up in his desires and schemes as these are explored as themes. It's quite funny in places and Dan Hope is a very likeable character.
June 8, 2022
Its about who has a lot of aspirations in life but his biggest one if for his father to love the same man who left him and his family at a very young age.
December 24, 2015
A book called 'A Boy Called Hope' should NOT make you cry as much as this one did. I feel cheated. (Well no I won't, it was an amazing book and I'm really glad I read it).
I'm always in awe of how (good) kid's books can bring so much and be so true. This is why reading is important. You may like to read just to clear your head or have a nice time and kid's books do bring you that, but they also bring so much more. There's this quality that makes them so important.
This book definitely has that quality.
(I didn't put 5 stars cause some times I could really hear the voice of the author, there are some things an 11 year old boy would just not say. But it's a great first book and I can't wait to read more)
(Yes I read this book on Christmas Eve and finished it on Christmas Day and it made me cry a lot. But loads of feels on Christmas Day is a good thing isn't it? Love is here)
I'm always in awe of how (good) kid's books can bring so much and be so true. This is why reading is important. You may like to read just to clear your head or have a nice time and kid's books do bring you that, but they also bring so much more. There's this quality that makes them so important.
This book definitely has that quality.
(I didn't put 5 stars cause some times I could really hear the voice of the author, there are some things an 11 year old boy would just not say. But it's a great first book and I can't wait to read more)
(Yes I read this book on Christmas Eve and finished it on Christmas Day and it made me cry a lot. But loads of feels on Christmas Day is a good thing isn't it? Love is here)
April 22, 2015
I'd give this 3.5 stars. It was funny, and things weren't all perfect in the end - which is how life is - most of the time.
Dan Hope is a likeable character and thinks quite literally as 11 yr olds do. He is sweet and a little confused about how his dad could leave and never come back, write or contact them in any way, even though he lived only 20 minutes away.
Dan decides he wants to see his dad, but lots of things happen along the way - a pregnancy, a school show, a truce and some huge changes in his family.
This is a sweet, funny, and sometimes sad story.
Dan Hope is a likeable character and thinks quite literally as 11 yr olds do. He is sweet and a little confused about how his dad could leave and never come back, write or contact them in any way, even though he lived only 20 minutes away.
Dan decides he wants to see his dad, but lots of things happen along the way - a pregnancy, a school show, a truce and some huge changes in his family.
This is a sweet, funny, and sometimes sad story.
March 22, 2016
I adored it. As soon as I picked it up I didn't want to stop reading until I'd finished it. It was heartwarming and emotional and towards the last couple of pages I even shed some small tears - it's beautiful. I enjoyed it that much it didn't even feel as though it was a 300 page book that Id just read. It is a book aimed for the younger audience, but that really didn't mean that it lacked in the writing or storyline. If you're looking for a quick, easy, warming story I would 100% recommend picking this one up.
October 2, 2014
I enjoyed reading this, loved the humour between siblings and felt Dan's anguish. I found it difficult to believe that Dan's dad was a TV star in what seemed to be a very small town, so small that his dad lived 20 minutes away, but once he'd left never saw his children. However, the main characters were engaging and easy to picture; I cared about Ninja Grace at the mercy of her little brother and warmed to 'Big Dave's' gentle care.
February 14, 2015
Wow, it was a refreshing read. Although a relatively easy read, I loved the style of writing and the characters. Dan as the narrator was a lovable character, who loves to dream and Sherlock Holmes!
What I adored the most, is the emotional core focusing on his search for his dad. Although it dwindled a little for me towards the middle, it really redeemed itself towards the end & ultimately I throughly enjoyed this little read, with a big heart!
What I adored the most, is the emotional core focusing on his search for his dad. Although it dwindled a little for me towards the middle, it really redeemed itself towards the end & ultimately I throughly enjoyed this little read, with a big heart!
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