Book Review: The Ifs by J D Pooker

Strange things are happening in the world belonging to Landon and Broden – two very ordinary brothers in a very ordinary world.  It’s not the continual bickering between them, that erupts into fights and scuffles – especially for the control of the remote.  It’s not even the play fighting and changes of side in the woods which sometimes mean they end up on the same side.  It’s the noises, dreams and things that go bump in the night.

Eventually they tell their mother.  And much to their surprise, she doesn’t think the boys are imagining things.  It seems like she encountered them when she was a girl.  If they want to contact you they have to wait till you make contact.  If they make some noises, they have to hide.  If you can catch them, they can talk to you… and take you on an amazing journey into their world if you are prepared to help them – because, as it turns out, they certainly need your help.

This is a delightfully written story about adventure and things that might live unseen in an ordinary world.  It takes play into a serious concern for freedom and self-determination.  It considers moral stances, teamwork, bravery and loyalty.  But most of all it considers fun!  I really enjoyed the setting and the twists and turns of the adventure with the Ifs – pacey and engaging with all too real treachery and deceit thrown in.  Sometimes the reader is not entirely sure of who is right or wrong, just like the brothers.  Despite the slightly moralistic punchline of the blurb, I think most boys and many girls will love this book, since it is full of little people and creatures of the forest who choose sides, and need the help of bigger people to restore order to their existence.

The Ifs by J D Pooker

I received a free ebook as part of a Mother Daughter Book Reviews promotion in return for my honest appraisal.