The Storm and the Minotaur
This novel tells the story of nine-year-old George, who wants to stay at school but whose family needs him to go out to work. The only job available is mining. Set in the 19th century, it examines the feelings of confusion and frustration that must have affected so many in the same situation. It also references a true story, outlined at the end of the book.
George’s family is kind and loving. His mother would like him to continue at school, where his teacher says he is bright and capable, but poverty means that at nine he is more than old enough to go to work with his father, a coal miner. His father is proud of him, but George is torn, realising that a different life could be possible for him. The night before his first shift he finds a book his uncle, killed in a pit accident, had hidden when he was a child, a book of ancient myths, including that of the Minotaur. George imagines a labyrinth of his own, the world of interlocking colliery galleries and natural caves honey-combing the land beneath his feet, and wonders whether it might hold a monster of its own. But when an accident strikes and it is up to George to lead to safety a bunch of fellow child workers, including his own little sister, the monster he conjures up helps rather than terrifies them.
This is a short, well-paced, simple story written with a gentle mix of warmth and jeopardy. Descriptions are vivid – a wooden pen-holder is ‘worn silky smooth’ – and realistic: his father has coal-dust ‘settled into his skin in deep black creases’. This novel addresses an issue modern children will identify with, and should prove an effective page-turner for children aged 8 – 12.
