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Cymbeline Igloo
Some Sunny Day
A funny and incredibly moving new novel of our times by one of the most talented children’s book authors working today, perfect for fans of Wonder , Frank Cottrell-Boyce or The Boy at the Back of the Class . Cymbeline Igloo is BORED. Bored of home learning, bored of lockdown, bored of not being able to DO anything. And to make things even worse, his mum accidentally gave away his favourite football shirt. But then Mrs Stebbings, the beloved school cook, is taken into hospital, and suddenly coronavirus seems much closer to home. When Cym starts a project all about Mrs Stebbings’ childhood in World War II, he can’t know that it’s the beginning of something incredible and even dangerous. Exploring the place where her street once stood, he finds a tent, a strange girl wearing HIS SHIRT, and a mystery that will change absolutely everything. Because the past is more present than Cymbeline can possibly know – and the most amazing thing is how much one small person can do RIGHT NOW… Some Sunny Day is a story of hope, kindness and the history we all make every day, no matter who we are.
- GenresFiction
320 pages, Paperback
Published October 4, 2022
3 people are currently reading
63 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
October 28, 2024
Swing and a miss. As with so many books aimed at young readers, this one is simply too safe—too twee—to land. Speaking as a middle school English teacher, I feel that society often underestimates tweens and younger teens. We lob underhanded softballs to them when they're ready for much greater challenges. While they may not openly reject what we offer, they often want more without knowing what they're missing. And when you offer it to them, they rarely look back.
Author Adam Baron softens the edges of the pandemic right up until the epilogue of this well-intentioned but often clueless tale, and he also tries to do too much. By toning down the impact of the pandemic and, seemingly, compressing its timeline, he makes it seem like a quickly passing inconvenience. Vague references to the broader social impact of COVID, the protagonist's mother's paranoia, and the illness of a beloved older character who miraculously makes a full recovery all minimize the actual experience of widespread death, overwhelmed healthcare systems, and government agencies caught off guard and too often hamstrung by their leadership.
I realize that this is part of an ongoing series, but even the protagonist's unlikely name—Cymbeline Igloo—tells you pretty much everything you need to know about this overly-precious tale. Aside from the traditionally disastrous choice to make a child the first-person narrator (can any of us adults do a child's voice justice in the eyes of child readers?), other issues detract as well. The author attempts to cram an excessive number of side issues into a potentially more effective study of the pandemic's effects on young people who missed crucial developmental phases. We're still bearing the consequences of these deficits today, and my initial motivation to read this was the scarcity of literature that directly addresses the pandemic. I get it: Everyone wants to forget the pandemic ever happened and just get on with their lives. Repressed trauma tends to grow, and without processing it, we can never move past it. This book feels like an attempt to varnish the ugly truth. Weaving in side stories about refugees, soccer, low-grade familial turmoil, and WWII history all distract from what should have been the central focus. And the single unforeseen tragedy with which the book closes hardly balances out the plethora of improbable happy endings that immediately precede it.
Weak tea for a Brit.
Author Adam Baron softens the edges of the pandemic right up until the epilogue of this well-intentioned but often clueless tale, and he also tries to do too much. By toning down the impact of the pandemic and, seemingly, compressing its timeline, he makes it seem like a quickly passing inconvenience. Vague references to the broader social impact of COVID, the protagonist's mother's paranoia, and the illness of a beloved older character who miraculously makes a full recovery all minimize the actual experience of widespread death, overwhelmed healthcare systems, and government agencies caught off guard and too often hamstrung by their leadership.
I realize that this is part of an ongoing series, but even the protagonist's unlikely name—Cymbeline Igloo—tells you pretty much everything you need to know about this overly-precious tale. Aside from the traditionally disastrous choice to make a child the first-person narrator (can any of us adults do a child's voice justice in the eyes of child readers?), other issues detract as well. The author attempts to cram an excessive number of side issues into a potentially more effective study of the pandemic's effects on young people who missed crucial developmental phases. We're still bearing the consequences of these deficits today, and my initial motivation to read this was the scarcity of literature that directly addresses the pandemic. I get it: Everyone wants to forget the pandemic ever happened and just get on with their lives. Repressed trauma tends to grow, and without processing it, we can never move past it. This book feels like an attempt to varnish the ugly truth. Weaving in side stories about refugees, soccer, low-grade familial turmoil, and WWII history all distract from what should have been the central focus. And the single unforeseen tragedy with which the book closes hardly balances out the plethora of improbable happy endings that immediately precede it.
Weak tea for a Brit.
October 6, 2023
Cymbeline Igloo, a year six student, misses his friends. He's tired of being at home during Covid and longs for the day he can play football (soccer) again with his buddies. The stores don't have his favorite foods, he doesn't like distance learning, and he's bored. While he understands his mom's extreme caution, he just wants life to return to normal. Mom is also going through a challenging time because her boyfriend was going to come for a visit from New Zealand with his two kids but is now unable due to travel restrictions.
The beloved school cook, Mrs. Stebbings, comes down with Covid and Cymbeline realizes his problems are miniscule to hers and the refugee kids he meets living in the park. The class decides to lift Mrs. Stebbings's spirits (Cymbeline's idea) by learning about World War II and Mrs. Stebbings's childhood. When Mom gets called in one day to substitute at Cymbeline's school, he is thrilled because he will get to see his classmates and his special teacher. Instead, he is disappointed again when only one other student comes to class and his teacher is absent.
I thought the first half of the book was a little slow, but the second half is terrific, filled with lots of emotion. Children who struggled with home schooling will relate to many of Cymbeline's challenges. Despite the serious topic, there are moments of levity.
The beloved school cook, Mrs. Stebbings, comes down with Covid and Cymbeline realizes his problems are miniscule to hers and the refugee kids he meets living in the park. The class decides to lift Mrs. Stebbings's spirits (Cymbeline's idea) by learning about World War II and Mrs. Stebbings's childhood. When Mom gets called in one day to substitute at Cymbeline's school, he is thrilled because he will get to see his classmates and his special teacher. Instead, he is disappointed again when only one other student comes to class and his teacher is absent.
I thought the first half of the book was a little slow, but the second half is terrific, filled with lots of emotion. Children who struggled with home schooling will relate to many of Cymbeline's challenges. Despite the serious topic, there are moments of levity.
November 10, 2022
📖My Thoughts📖
The pandemic has affected everyone in some way, shape or form. As an adult, a healthcare worker and mother, I endured my own personal experiences and saw how the pandemic affected my own children, however, their experience of it was completely different than what I imagined. This book is so powerfully portrays life during the pandemic through the unique perspective of a child reaching versus the eyes of adults. It skillfully touched on a sensitive yet important subject in a light hearted manner yet was entertaining to read. I think this is book would be beneficial for kids to read regarding their confusing feelings around a pandemic. This is perfect for children around middle school age. I laughed, was brought close to tears, and I felt so much empathy. This was a real cute book. I would recommend this to anyone middle school age and up.
Thank you Harper360, Harper Collins and Adam Baron for the opportunity to read and review this book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
The pandemic has affected everyone in some way, shape or form. As an adult, a healthcare worker and mother, I endured my own personal experiences and saw how the pandemic affected my own children, however, their experience of it was completely different than what I imagined. This book is so powerfully portrays life during the pandemic through the unique perspective of a child reaching versus the eyes of adults. It skillfully touched on a sensitive yet important subject in a light hearted manner yet was entertaining to read. I think this is book would be beneficial for kids to read regarding their confusing feelings around a pandemic. This is perfect for children around middle school age. I laughed, was brought close to tears, and I felt so much empathy. This was a real cute book. I would recommend this to anyone middle school age and up.
Thank you Harper360, Harper Collins and Adam Baron for the opportunity to read and review this book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
July 13, 2022
One of the few books out there that happens durring the Covid-19 pandemic. In fact, it is not only in the background, but the lynch pin of the whole story, which is refreshing.
I liked how the main character was bored with zoom school,, and wanted to do anything else, but attend to it. So it makes sense that he jumps about doing a project, rather than sit in front of the computer.
And because of that, he does have an adventure, finding some children who are homeless, that he is able to help.
Sweet and funny story of being bored, and learning to work around it.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
I liked how the main character was bored with zoom school,, and wanted to do anything else, but attend to it. So it makes sense that he jumps about doing a project, rather than sit in front of the computer.
And because of that, he does have an adventure, finding some children who are homeless, that he is able to help.
Sweet and funny story of being bored, and learning to work around it.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
July 12, 2022
Cymbaline is a kid facing the beginning of the pandemic. His family is separated by the lockdowns and quarantines and his mom is going a little stir crazy with nerves and lack of productivity and he's missing his friend and favorite teachers.
He navigates doing remote school, dealing with supply shortages, meeting new friends facing far worse, and the devastating loss of a beloved community member.
This is a fantastic middle grade novel to help kids who experienced covid and it's impact process.
He navigates doing remote school, dealing with supply shortages, meeting new friends facing far worse, and the devastating loss of a beloved community member.
This is a fantastic middle grade novel to help kids who experienced covid and it's impact process.
July 3, 2022
The first book I’ve read that is set during lockdown from the pov of a year 6 child, this story is so well written and will no doubt prove cathartic for some kids. The parallels between WW2 & lockdown (with WW2 being much worse) were very sensitively drawn and I don’t mind admitting I even shed a few tears at the ending.
December 31, 2025
Great pick from the Renton Highlands shelves! I’m powering my way along the J fictions.
I liked Sunny, I liked his classmates, I liked his mom, I liked the exotic British setting (exotic for me), I liked how some things worked out and some didn’t.
I liked Sunny, I liked his classmates, I liked his mom, I liked the exotic British setting (exotic for me), I liked how some things worked out and some didn’t.
November 12, 2022
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
August 31, 2023
Very good. Read in school as big city read book. It was brilliant
November 16, 2024
Slow at the start, but once I was halfway through only then did I feel like the story had started. But otherwise good book
November 17, 2024
A very enjoyable read. Feel it is very realistic and easy to relate to. Funny and with a main character, who is very easy to warm to. Lots of twists and turns along the way. Will definitely read to my Year 6 class.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews