Synopsis: Did the moon landing really happen? One boy with amazing abilities is going to find out! Using the incredible power of Noitanigami – and with his granddad’s help- Walter Speazlebud will travel back in time too 1969 to discover the truth.

It’s a big step for a small man…

Review: This is a quirky story involving the character of Walter and his quest to discover the truth behind the moon landing of 1969. This could be labelled a fantasy adventure. After all, it contains time travel, glowing magical stones and boys with the ability to make things go backwards through time. To label the book in such a way doesn’t entirely do it justice however.

The relationships between the characters is closely examined, especially that of Walter and his Granddad and their love of space exploration and the solar system. Granddad is suffering from Alzheimer’s and the family decide that he is better off in the local nursing home. Far from being a morose and depressing part of the story, Donohue successfully keeps the tone upbeat and Granddad come across as being a mischievous character whom, we suspect, plays on his condition to his advantage.

The book cleverly mixes fantasy and reality so that what would normally seem bizarre and unbelievable is treated as common place and ordinary. For example, Walter just happens to be a celebrity due to his ability to recite words backwards. He appears on TV shows and gets mobbed in the street. Dad is an inventor who is always just one step ahead of making his fortune. The power of Noitanigami is of course, the power of Imagination.

Using this power, Granddad sends Walter back in time to investigate the moon landing of 1969. Walter discovers things not only about his family’s past but also finds himself caught up in the events of the Apollo mission itself.

Discussions around this book could include whether Walter is really living through events or that they are just creations of his imagination. The author’s own experiences of dealing with dyslexia in school and having problems with words are relived through the character of Walter and it is refreshing to see this issue treated in such a positive and humorous way.

2006-10-02