Trouble With Goats And Sheep, The
Cannon, JoannaAll is not as it seems on The Avenue. John Creasey's new wife Margaret has gone AWOL and neighbourhood sleuths 10-year-olds Grace and Tilly decide to go looking for her. Their door-to-door search is a reminder to this close-knit community that Margaret has been the recipient of many a confidence, and that her disappearance may expose these secrets.
This engaging and perceptive story is a nostalgic immersion in 1970s English suburbia, simply narrated by the delightful Grace and Tilly and their adult neighbours, and a reminder of the personal and societal cost of secrecy. [Larger font]
Pages
453
453
Year
2016
2016
Reviews
06-11-2023
Great insight into the interplay of characters in the cul-de-sac, and how they interact with each other - told through the eyes of two young children. The author captures this with humour and clever wordplay, and keeps the reader guessing until most of the secrets are revealed. The characters are cleverly portrayed.
30-10-2019
We enjoyed the language in this book and the variety of characters, however the sheer number of characters did make it a bit confusing and we found ourselves referring back to the notes to remember who everyone was! The ending left some of our group unsatisfied but it certainly did make for some interesting discussion.
15-02-2019
Opinion was divided, some finding the changing viewpoints distracting and difficult to follow, others really enjoying the alternating perspectives and juxtaposition of viewpoints. Whilst frustrating in some ways, it was also satisfying that there were some questions left unanswered, and for the reader to continue to explore.
15-02-2019
We loved this book. Fantastic descriptive language!! Cannon has a real gift. Brilliant characters, and the point of view from the young girls was so insightful!!
22-08-2018
Our group held differing opinions on this book - from the language being overly florid and over the top and the voice of the children not seeming realistic - to those who felt an apparent simplicity belied much more about human nature, appearances versus reality and our prejudices and judgements. Some of the group really appreciated Cannon's unique and quirky metaphors and descriptions.
22-08-2018
Great read. Good discussion.
22-08-2018
Well developed characters. Typical small town mentality - everyone into everyone else's business. They all had a faade to protect their insecurities. Those in our group from England really related to it as it resembled their childhood. The children's attitude to God was weird - it was strange how the silhouette appeared and how they sat and looked at it.
17-08-2018
There were divided views of this book, but more pros than cons. The biggest strength was the descriptive language.
17-08-2018
There was a mixed response to this book, which led to a lively discussion. Most enjoyed the perspective of the children. Whilst there were good character studies of the adults, most of the group were less receptive to these. The frequent time differences were found to be confusing. The notes were useful.
17-08-2018
We all LOVED the book, it was quirky, funny and wise.