The Goat
Published on 3. May 2018
Book
Paperback/Softback
160 pages
978-1-78269-214-0 (ISBN)
Description
When Kid accompanies her parents to New York City for a six-month stint of dog-sitting and home-schooling, she sees what looks like a tiny white cloud on the top of their apartment building.
Rumour says there's a goat living on the roof, but how can that be?
As Kid soon discovers, a goat on the roof may be the least strange thing about her new home. Painfully shy and too afraid to talk to new people at first, Kid is happy to explore Manhattan, especially the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Central Park, where she meets Will, who is also home-schooled and under the constant watchful eye of his grandmother. As Kid and Will become friends, she learns that Will's parents died in the Twin Towers. Will can't look out windows, he is a practitioner of Spoonerism, and he is obsessed with the Ancient Egyptian Tomb of Perneb.
When Kid learns that the goat will bring good luck to whoever sees it, suddenly it becomes very important to know whether the goat on the roof is real. So Kid and Will set out to learn the truth, even if it means confronting their own fears.
Rumour says there's a goat living on the roof, but how can that be?
As Kid soon discovers, a goat on the roof may be the least strange thing about her new home. Painfully shy and too afraid to talk to new people at first, Kid is happy to explore Manhattan, especially the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Central Park, where she meets Will, who is also home-schooled and under the constant watchful eye of his grandmother. As Kid and Will become friends, she learns that Will's parents died in the Twin Towers. Will can't look out windows, he is a practitioner of Spoonerism, and he is obsessed with the Ancient Egyptian Tomb of Perneb.
When Kid learns that the goat will bring good luck to whoever sees it, suddenly it becomes very important to know whether the goat on the roof is real. So Kid and Will set out to learn the truth, even if it means confronting their own fears.
Reviews / Votes
This idiosyncratic short novel is full of information about New York and its landmarks, including Ground Zero * Sunday Times * Filled with joy, sweet sadness, and a triumph of spirit. Lovely * Kirkus Reviews (starred review) * With delicate insight and humor, Fleming cleverly unites people - and goats - from vastly different walks of life in an offbeat celebration of courage and individuality * Booklist (starred review) * A lively yet tender story * Publishers Weekly * The Goat takes a concept easiest told as zany and madcap, but instead wisely presents it as perfectly ordinary. If Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach made a kids' movie... this would certainly be their script * National Post * At turns funny and affecting, this [is an] ingeniously knitted ensemble piece for 9- to 12-year-olds * Wall Street Journal * Eccentricities abound, but so do charm and warm humor. Perfect for tweens who prefer quiet, character-driven novels and fans of E.L. Konigsburg * School Library Journal * An affectionate and quirky ode to Manhattan * Horn Book * This is a book with much to say; one that will leave the reader with a lot to think about... It celebrates the healing power of friendship. It is, very movingly, about loss. But most of all it says that life is wonderful and goes on despite its many setbacks and tragedies * Magic Fiction Since Potter (blog) *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Pushkin Press
Target group
Children/juvenile
Interest Age: From 8 years
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 129 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-78269-214-0 (9781782692140)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
Anne Fleming is the author of Pool-Hopping and Other Stories (shortlisted for the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize, the Danuta Gleed Award and the Governor General's Award), and Anomaly and Gay Dwarves of America. She is a long-time and highly regarded teacher of creative writing who has taught at the University of British Columbia, Emily Carr University of Art and Design, Douglas College, Kwantlen University College and the Banff Centre for the Arts. The Goat is her first full-length work for young readers.