Here is an extract from KBR’s excellent review of Janeen Brian’s new Young Fiction novel “That Boy Jack”(Walker Books):

“This evocative book is the reason we read. To be entertained, to be worried, to be affected.

The story transports us to 1874, where we get to experience life in a mining town through the eyes of a normal boy. Just before his twelfth birthday, it is decided that Jack will work in the mines, like his father. The mines are terrifying and Jack is scared of going underground.

This intelligent historical novel is at once thought-provoking and captivating.

There is an amazing chapter about Jack’s first journey into the inky darkness of the mines. The air is suffocating, the noise is thunderous. The work is tedious. Jack can only see by candle light and can’t talk to anyone because of the noise of the picks….”

- Kids Book Review, Peta Keown
Read the full review

And here are KBR’s 12 Curly Questions with author Janeen Brian