Cuckoo Summer

Product Information

Tulloch's use of the dialects spoken by Tommy and Sally is fascinating (particularly the numbers used for counting sheep) and the novel is full of beautiful descriptions of nature, including the eponymous cuckoo. My only concern is that there are some lengthy, graphic descriptions of animal cruelty in the story, which are upsetting even for an adult to read.

Only gradually do we find out why Sally is compelled to forge this bond with another human being, alone and in need of help, despite putting herself in grave danger by doing so.

Then again, Sally’s full of stories and schemes and it seems she’s reluctant to share anything about her past life. It is the summer of 1940, and Tommy lives with his three Aunts and young niece on a farm in Woundale in the Lake District. The place is almost a character in its own right, with an immersive understanding of farming at that time.

Author of eight novels, including The Season Ticket, Give Us This Day and Mr McCool, Jonathan’s work has been filmed, staged and Radio 4 serialised. Wordsworth’s Daffodils is a fitting reference and motif, revealing Sally’s delight in the rural landscape around her. But there is plenty for teachers and adults to explore with readers, including underlying themes of prejudice and poverty. Meanwhile, Tommy’s having doubts, not only about the size of this secret, or Sally’s circumstances with the hateful Mr Scarcross, but about his father.

Cuckoo Summer is lovingly written and a celebration of the Lakeland and the beauty and remoteness of the area. There is an innocence to the children’s attitude to the wounded airman and the accompanying press release for the book mentions the suitability for fans of Whistle Down the Wind and I can well understand why. In fact the whole novel is seeped in local accents and Tulloch's ease with dialogue is a strong part of the book's appeal. And so, all the glorious sights and sounds of British nature have flown and grown their way into these pages. This results in a chain of events that expose the children to danger and uncover secrets about Sally’s past.

It's just so evocatively written - and what a triumph to see this landing in young readers hands, not only sharing the beauty of the countryside but also sharing a little bit of our history too. It’s why Aunt Annie takes little notice of Mr Scarcross’s harsh words about his evacuee friend, Sally Smith. Tommy’s Dad is missing while on active service in the war and Tommy lives on the family farm with his Aunties. At one point, the children’s unkind teacher, Miss Gently rattles through the timetables, beating her long ruler like ‘an auctioneer watching farmers at a cattle sale.

Tommy knows that Sally’s a bit wild and her stories of her past rather unreliable, but what is she hiding? I loved the setting of this book too, in the green countryside of the Lake District, farming for victory and doing what they could for the war effort. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others.