Book Review
Card School
by Andrew Milner
Book Description
A boarding school is not always the first choice for parents or children but Michael Dawson did not have the luxury of choice. At ten years of age he had to deal with the loss of both parents who had been abroad on a church mission. He never had the chance to say goodbye, only see you later. He believed when they went they would return, but they didn't. Not only having to contend with the biggest loss known to a child he was thrust into the full time guardianship of his uncaring Auntie who he had been staying with but only until his parents came back. Now they were not coming back, his future had to be decided.
Saint Sebastian's Academy for Young Men is a boarding school on the North Yorkshire moors which prides itself on the creation of the next generation of gentlemen who will make names for themselves in the world outside. Michael finds himself at ten years old standing in the doorway of the building he didn't even recognise as a school. With Auntie gone without even a goodbye he tries hard to accept his fate but with great hardship and after sleepless nights and bed wetted sheets he knows he has to pull himself together. He forms a close friendship with a fellow pupil and becomes an enemy of another. After a crunching tackle on the rugby field, a game he has no idea how to play he believes his parents have come to take him home. His heart breaks for a second time when reality hits home that it had all been a dream. Michael senses that the school hides a dark secret, one which reveals itself to him in part, yet punishes him for being inquisitive.
Aware that he can only trust himself, he sets out to unravel the answers and find questions to fit. He has no intention of getting too close but ends up being in the direct firing line. When all hope is lost, the person he expects least of all to be there comes to the rescue, but is it all too little too late?
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Our Book Review
Ever read Tom Brown School days, if you have then you will love this story. An excellent novel full of emotion, leading the main character through his escapades and adventures which will take him to his ultimate destiny.Based around a boarding school the author has shown he has done his research into what it is like to be a boarder and the tradition of the school. Every boarding school has secrets which are held by staff, past pupils and most importantly by the head.
When his parents are killed and not wanted by his aunt, Michael Dawson is sent to Saint Sebastians Academy. As Michael finds his place in the school, learning the rules and traditions it leads him to the local woods where the first of the strange experiences and sights appear to him. The traits and characteristics which are ascribed to Michael are first class and make for a very emotive story.
This book had me hooked from the first page, the excellent description of school boarding life and the very strong emotions of a ten year old boy abandoned and alone in the world. The way that his strength, dreams and hope give him the desire to fulfill his destiny along with a twist thrown in keeps the reader enrapt.
Our Rating
About the author
During his youth he was in a number of bands playing guitar and singing vocals. He also wrote songs for most of the bands. He called it a day due to family commitments and needed another hobby, and so decided to start writing books to keep his brain active. The first book "A Far Reaching Dream" was completed and then left in a drawer until Lodge Books published it in January 2013. His second book "The Hidden Path Home" was published in February 2014 as a sequel to his first work. Card School is his third book.
Andrew combines his writing with working full time. In his spare time he likes writing, spending time with his friends and family and supporting Huddersfield Town. You may see the odd appearance on the golf course too but only in warm weather..!
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http://www.beckvalleybooks.co.uk
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That is often how true life is - the person you least expect can often be the one to come to you in your time of need.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to this one. Havent heard of it before this review. This is my kind of read.
ReplyDeleteI love books about boarding schools, and this one certainly looks interesting!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a 'can't put downer!' I've not hard of this author before thanks for the review
ReplyDeleteI definitely want to read this one. It sounds like one of those books that tugs at your heart strings and does not let go.
ReplyDeletePoor kids! Sounds like he definitely comes into his own at the new school!
ReplyDeleteoh another one ot add to my list , im getting quite a few lately that i wouldnt normally read and enjoying them
ReplyDeleteI have read all three of Andrew's books. A Far Reaching Dream and The Hidden Path Home are both certainly worth a read but Card School is (in my opinion) the best. I was hooked from the start and did, indeed, find it hard to put down!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like an amazing book indeed. It is the type of story I would love to read. It seems hopefully that he will find himself in the end. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteSounds like an interesting read. I have always wondered what boarding school was like.
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