The Clocker

I loved this book. Hardly put it down once I'd started and was captivated by its wonderful characters - Nev and his hens, Dad with his outdated language and terrible fashion sense, his neighbours who all look out for him in their different ways. Charming and humorous, but not without addressing some big subjects - bullying, friendship, parental problems. Highly recommended.

A lovely engaging story about family, friendship, bullies and hens. Nev, his Dad and his friend Samantha help each other to deal with life’s challenges, finding humour and happiness along the way. A very uplifting tale.

What a super story for children aged 7-10 and anyone else who enjoys an uplifting tale of overcoming some of life’s obstacles with bravery, true friendship and honesty. I was drawn into the world of Nev, his hens, Dad and best friend Samantha quickly and thoroughly enjoyed the entire book. Liz has drawn her characters with expertise and humour, warming us to them with understanding and compassion to walk alongside Nev in his 10 year old life at present. Highly recommended.

The Clocker is a beautifully crafted book. It addresses issues of bullying and family breakdown in a sensitive way with positive guidance on how to address them and move forwards. But it is all woven into a charming narrative of a boy and his hens and it highlights the importance of friendships and positive social interaction within a diverse community. I'm sure it will be really enjoyed by young people.

Liz Mackenzie is a former student of mine and worked on this book during our mentoring, so I was delighted to have the opportunity to review the final, published work. It's a delightful, charming and witty novel for middle-grade, about a boy called Nev who keeps hens (including The Clocker of the title) and has to keep his family and school life together, too. His mother has left home for reasons he doesn't fully understand, and it's him and his Dad against the world. Her departure has left him vulnerable to bullying, including by an utterly vile (but still vulnerable) classmate called Kez. The arrival of a new girl, Samantha (another survivor of parental breakup) gives him a friend and new confidence in standing up to bullies. Liz has a keen eye and a keen ear for the funny and sometimes frightening moments of childhood. The characters are well-drawn and the dialogue is amusing or insightful as required. Nev and Samantha are sympathetic main characters and you're rooting for them all the way. Two major events - Nev's entry for the Poetry Festival halfway through, and the anti-bullying presentation in Assembly towards the end - give the book a sound structural basis. Liz tackles sensitive issues such as bullying, single parenthood and depression with great sensitivity and humour. It's an easy and enjoyable read and pitched just right for the age group, for which I've written quite a few books myself (I'm another Troubador author!). With my tutor's hat still on, I would have liked to see a little more of Kez's reaction to the Assembly presentation, and also to learn the truth about the failed business relationship between Samantha's Dad and Stepdad. But this is nitpicking, and Liz already knows what I'm like. It's an excellent first children's novel and I hope we will be seeing more from this author, and hopefully from these characters. Great job.