The Song From Somewhere Else

Book arrived damaged. Didn't notice it until September. The damage is a publishing issue as the first few pages were caught in the cover page binding.

My daughter loved it could not put it down

I recommend this book for parents with kids aged 7-12.

Young Frank (Francesca) is being mercilessly bullied by a group of boys and one day Nick - the class loner - finds her in the park being bullied and stands up for her. That's the last thing Frank wants - she doesn't want to be stuck being nice to Nick - but they end up escaping the bullies and Frank finds herself back at Nick's house. She hears some amazing music which stays with her even after she goes home and it draws her back to Nick's house and into a friendship with him despite herself. The music is deeply connected to Nick's family and while it is secret it's safe but the secret gets out and Frank has to choose between destroying the source of the music or destroying the world.This is a beautifully written and emotionally resonant story. I like the way that Nick cares for Frank even when she lets him down - a great model for forgiveness. In many stories characters make mistakes that they are never forgiven for and forgiveness is a powerful thing and it's wonderful to see it in this story and the deep friendship that grows up between Frank and Nick.Another review I read said that the story took a turn at the end that they didn't like and I agree with this criticism. The story starts off as a gritty yet realistic bully story and then the eerie fantasy element of the music comes in but the end is mild fantasy horror which will put some readers off. I think that the fantasy horror elements could have been telegraphed a bit better at the beginning so that readers would have known what they were getting into early enough to put the book down if the content wasn't to their taste. It does feel like the story radically changes direction when the horror is introduced. That said, it's still a great story and worth five stars.Highly recommended.

Initially, I started out by really liking this story and enjoying where it was going. Very quickly though, it went somewhere totally unexpected, and just...strange.It wasn't what I had imagined it would be going into it, from the synopsis. I had no clue that it would turn weird and magical with all this supernatural element to it. I thought it would be a regular coming-of-age story about a girl, who is being bullied and finds a friend, confidant and protector in Nick, the last person she'd have thought of.It started out that way, sure. But then, she goes to Nick's house and hears this calming music that makes her happy. She goes back home, but can't stop thinking about it, and keeps going back to Nick's house because of that music. So far, so good. Up to that point, I was still very interested in where this story was going.But then...Frank sneaks into the basement to find out where this music was coming from, and that's where it all just became too weird for me. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind the supernatural and magical elements when they're added to stories. I've previously read A.F. Harrold's "The Imaginary" and really enjoyed it, but the way this story was written and sold was not in that sense. I did not pick it up wanting to read a supernatural fantasy. Add to that, I really did not think the "music" went anywhere. It was not explained, we still don't know why it had such a beautiful or calming effect, I have no idea what those "shadows" that were coming into the world were, or what they wanted exactly, or why they were attacking. I don't understand how Nick's dad became so involved or that lady that came to lock the gates turned up from. None of it added up really. And my greatest annoyance came from Frank's stomach. She wouldn't stop having conversations with her stomach, and at first it was OK, but it became so incessantly annoying.All in all...a bit of a disappointment. Started out well enough, with the true struggles of bullying, but I felt like none of it was really resolved. I hated Frank's parents and their complete obliviousness to her situation as well, and none of it was revealed or explained to them in the end either. I felt like the most important aspect of the story (the bullying) was discarded for some silly musical piece and a troll.

I didn’t know what to think about this novel, the more that I read it. The story seemed typical until I started to know Nick and his situation. Nick was like an outcast for he was different but he didn’t seem to let that bother him much as he kept to himself. Nick didn’t have to go in and save Frank from the bullies that were bothering her but he did and that confrontation was just the beginning of what was going to occur. Frank was a victim of bullying, an act her father knew nothing about it but I felt it changed her personality. Frank seems scared of these boys, she tries to dodge them whenever she saw them because she knew they would harass her, they always did. It just so happens that Nick is around when Frank is being bullied and he steps in and provides some relief from the bullying. Frank doesn’t know what to think of Nick’s actions because now she feels a connection to him, a connection that will draw attention. It was nice to see these two individuals coming together but I had to wonder which one would walk away from their connection first. Frank didn’t want the added attention and Nick is keeping a secret, something so wild and extreme, I didn’t know what to think of it. Frank and Nick are alike yet they feel they have so much to lose by forming an honest relationship with each other. What is the future of this relationship and does Frank’s bullying go away because of her relationship with Nick or does it escalate? I found that I liked this novel more after I was finished reading it, when I could put everything together than when I was reading it. A novel about bullying, friendship and family, this novel is entertaining and full of surprises.

We loved this book and would recommend it to aged 9-13! The most amazing part of this book is to see how our main character, Frank, overcomes her fears. She begins the book as a timid, bullied, fearful girl by the end she is brave and confident. It was great to see how she changed. This book is full of important themes,. such as forgiveness, friendship, honesty and trust. This book was full of tension and every time we stopped reading, it left us wanting more. But this book also has a dark side, it explores a whole new world. A world of shadows, trolls, darkness and stick people. This book will take you on an adventure to other worlds and also help you learn about what's important-friendship!

Didn’t really think it was possible for A F Harrold to top ‘The Imaginary’ but here we are. Yet again he creates a character driven masterpiece that is creepy but yet remains the right side of scary. His partnership with Levi Pinfold (of ‘Blackdog’ fame) is, if anything even more effective than when he worked with Emily Gravett. If you haven’t read this, you need to.

Read this aloud to 9 year old. He said that the ending could have been better but I t was a lovely book to imagine.

"In the cellar that was a window to another world, they sat and watched Nick's mum, mountainous and grey, mossey - eared and flat - faced, sitting in a room that was a window to their world, weaving her music."- A. F Harold, The Song From Somewhere Else••This is a story about friendship, a beautiful and wonderful fairytale. Francesca Patel a small girl bullied by her school senior is rescued by Nicholas Underbridge with whom she never thought she would ever interact with. He is a large, smelly and lonely guy who sits in the back of the class. When she enters his home she hears a beautiful, enchanting but strange music which forces her to go to his home again and again and again. Things start to get weird from there when she learns that her cat can talk, that music is played by Nick's mother from another world and Nick himself is not from her world.It is a beautiful, captivating and intriguing book. I can't think of more adjectives or I would have put them all in my review for this beauty. And those gorgeous illustrations just stole my heart. There were so many beautiful pictures in the book, each picture telling something about the story.I am really grateful for @bloomsburyindia to organize #bloomsburyawardwinning #readathon or else I would have never bought this book.Go pick this book right now💞💖

My son had been reading this book in school with his whole class, but he enjoyed it so much , we got it for home too - for his sisters & I. We are still reading the story but we are enjoying it so far. It has dealt with emotions , bullying , friendships & feelings, in a very child friendly way! I am looking forward to finishing this with my children!The words are beautifully written and actually i am going to order more books from the author AF Harrold!