'Lark' has so far been my favourite book of the ones I've read in 2021. It's a beautiful story of courage, endurance and brotherly love.

I haven't read the other books from this collection, which also includes 'Brock,' 'Pike' and 'Rook,' but it didn't matter. I was quickly engrossed in Nicky and Kenny's world as they walk on the moors trying to keep their minds off the fact that their estranged mum will be returning home soon. But it soon becomes apparent that what was initially meant to be a fun adventure, turns into a perilous situation as the snow comes down at the boys lose their way.

The brothers have a wonderful and often hilarious relationship - the dialogue is brilliant. Here's an extract which I particularly loved:

"Never eat yellow snow," I said to Kenny.

"I'm not gonna," Kenny said. "If it was really cold, would your piss freeze in mid-air?"

"I don't know. I suppose so. Yeah, hang on, I remember watching something on the telly about Siberia, or somewhere like that. A man poured boiling water out of a kettle, and before it reached the ground it had turned to ice, so that must mean your piss would, too."

"I'd like to see that," Kenny said. "Your piss turning to ice in mid-air..."

(...)

That was the sort of chat we had and it was a laugh, for a while.

While the banter highlights the boys' easy friendship, it also reveals painful elements of their past. For Nicky in particular, the memories of his mother's departure and his dad's drinking reach a painful crescendo with the approaching storm.

The book is published by dyslexic-friendly publishers, Barrington Stoke, and while being intended for teenage readers, is edited to a younger reading age.

I hugely recommend it.