The Books

Furthermoor

by Simpson, Darren

ISBN: 9781474976701

After the death of his sister a teenage boy succumbs to depression and bullying and takes refuge in an imagined world where his sister is still alive, until he finds the strength to face his fears. The real world is a hostile place for twelve-year-old Bren, his schooldays stalked by vicious bully, Shaun, and his family life fractured at home. Ever since his sister Evie died in an accident, Bren's only safe space is Furthermoor, an imagined world of mechanised trees and clockwork animals, where Evie is still alive. In Furthermoor, no one can hurt Bren ...until the mysterious Featherly arrives. Bren is now forced to confront his deepest fears and decide if his place in the real world is worth fighting for.

Reviews

Ayomide - Outwood Academy Kirkby - 2023

I liked the book as it had a good set up in the real world. It made me feel really bad for Bren when he was bullied.

Emelia - Outwood Academy Kirkby - 2023

I am genuinely in love with this book, It showcases how different your imagination is compared to the real world. Feeling very sorry for Bren at first, but was so proud when he stuck up for himself against Featherly...Would definitely recommend for readers who can let their imagination create a whole new world and adventure.

Tam - Ellis Guilford School - 2023

I liked this book. I found that the moral message was incredibly important. I also like the way it talked about bullying.

Kaiyah - Ellis Guilford School - 2023

I really enjoyed it; there's such a plot twist and loads of adventure.

Ruquaiyah - Nottingham Girls High School - 2023

Furthermoor is a carefully constructed book that copes with the ideas of realistic bullying and an escape route from life. I enjoyed the concept of the book- the characters and plot were portrayed perfectly, but Featherly didn't come across as an evil villian; he was more like an example of what happens if you spiral out of control.

Luke - Magnus Church of England Academy - 2023

This book was a wild ride from start to finish, combined with the uplifting message behind it. With a very well written set of characters this is well worth reading. I particularly liked the relationship between Bren and Cary and how it developed throughout the story.

Lexi - Nottingham Girls High School - 2023

It was really good, but I didn't like the characters.

Lizzie - Nottingham Girls High School - 2023

I really enjoyed this book especially the real world however to push this book to 5 stars I wish that the Feartherly character was more scary. Overall, I loved this book.

Lucy - Nottingham Girls High School - 2023

I loved the moral of the story and the twist at the end about Featherly. I also liked the idea about how Bren’s imagination created Furthermore and how Featherly said what Bren really believed about himself. I wasn’t a big fan of the plot, but I thought the book was really well written. Also it made me feel for Bren and really understand why he acted like he did. All in all, I liked reading Furthermore.

Alexander - Rushcliffe Spencer Academy - 2023

It is a very interesting mix of fantasy and mystery. Overall a good book to read. A definite contender for this year's award. The story feeds everything in slowly to keep you guessing about what is going to happen. I loved it though I have one small criticism; I couldn’t put it down once I had started reading it. Amazing book!

Lila - Nottingham Girls High School - 2023

I liked the story about how his sister died and how he was feeling about that. It was also realistic how he was being bullied. I didn't really understand what Furthermoor looked like but I could understand what the real world was like. I liked the plot twist how Featherly was actually Bren and I liked how he stood up to him and Shaun. Overall I really enjoyed it.

Lizzie - Nottingham Girls High School - 2023

I enjoyed this book but I think that Feathery could have been a bit scarier!

Aleena - Nottingham Girls High School - 2023

This was confusing for me but a good ending .

Qudsiah - Nottingham Girls High School - 2023

It was an incredibly detailed and moving book and I would definitely recommend reading it! I really enjoyed it and it teaches a great lesson about standing up to bullies and conquering personal fears. Furthermore tells readers that even if you’re scared, you can always be brave no matter what.

Evie - Rushcliffe Spencer Academy - 2023

Amazing story, full of lots of twists and turns. It has a lovely message of self-belief and standing up for yourself. I definitely recommend.

Isabella - Outwood Academy Kirkby - 2023

I really enjoyed this book and I didn't expect all the plot twists and enjoyment.

Sa'Enna - Ellis Guilford School - 2023

I recently finished this book and I really enjoyed reading it! If I could describe this book in one word, I would say amazing! 5 stars out of 5!

Ayyan - Ellis Guilford School - 2023

The book is imaginary like day dreaming. It's about a boy who has a forest .

Jayah - Ellis Guilford School - 2023

Furthermoor is a brilliant book and I really loved reading it. This book brings up really important issues like bullying and grief. It was truly incredible watching the relationship between Cary and Bren and also watching Bren's confidence grow as he learns to stand up for himself and as Cary says "making his bark worse than his bite." I also loved learning about the inspiration behind the book when we went to meet the author who told us all about how he created the setting of Furthermoor. Overall it was a brilliant book.

Eva - Nottingham Girls High School - 2023

I loved this book so so much. I love the message of anti-bullying! This book wasn’t too quick but wasn’t too long. I was a bit confused at first but quickly got it! The plot was excellent and I loved the themes of: grief, triumph, anti-bullying and unconditional love. I felt as though I was a friend of Bren the whole way through. This is probably the reason why I cried at the end! The end was so powerful when Featherly turned out to be who he was. This is one of the best books I’ve ever read and definitely deserves the top 5 I’ve given! Love this book, Eva