Clownfish

By Alan Durant

This book was one of six shortlisted for the Bolton Children’s fiction Award in 2020/21 and was named joint winner.

The is an emotional story told by a boy called Dak. His dad has died and Dak is feeling sad and lost. One of the things that Dak and his dad both loved was fish & the film Finding Nemo.

A week after the death, Dak is at the aquarium when a little clownfish gets his attention. The fish is Dak’s dad! He can’t face school and is so happy to be able to spend time with his dad that he goes to visit the aquarium as often as he can. He starts helping out the aquarium’s owner and becomes friends with his niece Violet.

Just when Dak is becoming used to his new routine, disaster strikes again. The aquarium is going to be closed down for good. To keep his dad, Dak and Violet will need to come up with a plan to keep the aquarium open.

This book was quite different to the type of fiction texts that I normally choose. Even though the book is about a boy dealing with the death of a close family member, the story is not depressing. This story will have you feeling all kinds of emotions. At times you will smile and laugh but at other times you’ll feel sad or tense. It will make you think a lot about friendship and how different people deal with grief.

My score: 4/5