Cannily, Cannily
Age 10+
General Fiction
They were on the move again, but nowhere ever felt like home.
“Home, he thought grimly. Funny sort of home, a caravan and a kombi with a tent annexe to connect the two.” Trevor is not your average twelve-year-old boy. He’s canny. Knowing. Thrifty. Cautious. But he also wants to belong.
Cannily, Cannily is a junior fiction novel by multi-award-winning Australian author Simon French. Readers follow Trevor as he struggles with bullying and belonging, and learns the importance of friendship and standing up for oneself. In 1982 this book was short-listed for the UK Guardian Fiction Prize and was Commended in the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Awards. If you enjoyed this book, read Simon’s other stories: Change the Locks and Other Brother.
“Breathtakingly alive.” Reading Time magazine
“A story of friendship, family and belonging … First published in 1981, and newly re-released by Walker Books, Cannily, Cannily is set in a time somewhat different than young readers’ experiences, yet will be familiar enough for them to relate, with the issues explored being thoroughly contemporary.” Aussie Reviews
“A brilliantly written novel … perfect for primary school children … Recommended.” Read Plus
“A very well written story about a sensitive set of issues set realistically in an appropriate setting.” Australian Journal of Reading
Creators
Simon French grew up in Sydney's west, and had his first novel published while he was still at high school. He has written many novels and picture books, and been published in Australia and overseas. His work is praised by critics and has won several awards, including the 1987 Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Award for All We Know. Change the Locks was an Honour Book in 1992. Where in the World won the 2003 NSW Premier’s Literary Award for Children’s Literature, and was short-listed for the 2003 CBCA Book of the Year for Younger Readers, long-listed for the 2003 Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize and nominated to the IBBY Honour List in 2004. His most recent novel, Other Brother, was short-listed for the 2013 CBCA Book of the Year for Younger Readers award. Simon is a primary school teacher in the Hawkesbury region of New South Wales.
Reviews
Well written; deep round characters; realistic dialogue; and with a heart all it’s own — Cannily, Cannily, is a book you won’t forget.
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