Lonny and the Quicke family have a secret. He is a lifeling; someone with the power to heal any living creature when they are close to death, but he must shorten his own life to do so. His father has kept him and Midge, his younger brother, hidden away from the townsfolk in the forest where they can be safe and he won’t be used by people who just can’t help themselves. But Lonny and Midge yearn to help their father and what they discover just might change their lives.

The premise for this story is fantastic and it definitely lives up to it. The Life and Time of Lonny Quicke is a mysterious, intriguing story of growth and family. I felt Lonny’s plight throughout and inwardly sighed every single time he felt the buzzing. There was a sense of small town community and I particularly enjoyed the mechanic of the stories of the lifelings. The different perspectives of Grandma Quicke and the town festival gave insight into how all in the world see lifelings and how perhaps Lonny could be a blessing to others, but could also be so easily vulnerable. There were a few moments of serious anguish – I won’t spoil them, but I felt very emotional, particularly at the end.

The cast of characters is a real mixture of people! Lonny is both likeable and unlikeable; he cares for others and finds it so hard to let go when hearing the buzzing, but the way he treats his brother at times made me very frustrated. Midge is what you would expect from every little brother – over excitable and perhaps a little annoying! I love Jess and her miscellaneous litany of jobs! The mysterious figure of Lonny and Midge’s mother also adds intrigue and I feel for Lonny, not knowing her, but so desperately clinging to any piece of information.

Lonny Quicke will tug at your heart strings and leave you wanting more. 5 out of 5 stars.

A wonderful read for anyone that likes magic set in reality. I did guess what was going to happen but that might be because I’m old and more well read than a child reading this would be!

This book was an interesting concept, unfortunately, I didn't like the writing style. The repetition meant that I didn't get drawn into the story. Lonny was not a particularly pleasant character, in fact, he could be pretty cruel to his younger brother. I would have loved to have seen more sibling bonding. I found that in the scenes where I was meant to feel heightened emotions, it just fell flat.

I did, however, love the ending. All the oldies going off on a little adventure together.

If you are looking for a quick and quirky read with a unique writing style this book might work for you.

The Life and Time of Lonny Quicke is one of those special books that will completely blow you away and linger in your thoughts long after you've finished it.
Lonny is a lifeling - someone who has the power to save others from the brink of death, only to lose some of their life in return. Because of this, Lonny and his family live apart from the rest of society in a bid to keep him safe, but can they keep Lonny's lifeling powers a secret forever?
I was totally enthralled by this book and couldn't put it down; I just had to keep reading to find out what would happen to Lonny. This is yet another original, breathtaking and moving feat from Kirsty Applebaum and I can't wait to see what she writes next.

Another beautifully-written thought-provoking read from one of my favourite authors. Her writing is crisp and heartfelt and completely absorbing. Towards the end, I had to consciously remember to stop holding my breath because the story was so gripping! Lonny is just the most glorious character too, unlike any other I've come across. Part of me wants to litter this review with spoilers but I'll resist and stop here. Thank you, Kirsty Applebaum, for making me think. It's what you do in the right now that matters...Beautiful.

The Life and Time of Lonny Quicke was a brilliant book with a unique concept!

The story followed Lonny who is a lifeling. He can save lives of creatures and humans buy by giving a bit of life, he loses a bit of life. When he and his brother, Midge, are invited to Farstoke in order to earn some money to support his family, things go very wrong!

The plot was different and intriguing and the writing was simple and readable. The characters I found realistic but my only complaint was the anticlimactic scenes. The plot would be more exciting and entertaining if the stakes were higher and there wasn't any anticlimax.

Other than that this was a great read which I would recommend to middle grade readers!

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the E-arc. All opinions are my own.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and Nosy Crow in return for an honest review.

This is exactly the kind of book I love. From reading the description, I was intrigued by the premise and I'm so pleased that it completely met and even exceeded my expectations.

This book is about Lonny Quicke, a 12-year-old boy who is a Lifeling (someone that has the ability to bring any creature back from the dead by giving it some of their life force). However, each time he does this, his body ages, bringing him closer to death with every life that he saves. Since his birth, Lonny's father has tried to keep him and his younger brother Midge safe and hidden from the world in their cottage, in the forest. However, Lonny longs to discover what lies beyond the forest and learn more about the mother he can barely remember. Venturing out of the forest might be the only way to find the answers to his questions but outside the safety of his home is a dangerous world.

This is such a clever story. Right from the start, you are shown how the magic works and made to understand the cost. This knowledge adds a delicious tension throughout the story and, like Lonny, you are always on the lookout for danger, suspicious of unfamiliar situations but also excited to see more of the world. The writing style is a great mix of a direct narration with a contemporary feel and a more lyrical, historical style when folk tales are recounted. The repetition of these folk tales from different people is brilliant. Things that at first appeated one way, with only the slightest of changes, now appear completely the opposite.

I was constantly making predictions about how I thought this book would end and the secrets that would be revealed, which was great fun. I really liked the ending, even though I cried my way through the last few pages!

This is the first Kirsty Applebaum book I have read, and having enjoyed this story so much, I am now very eager to read all her other books.

The Life and Times of Lonny Quicke is truly a beautiful book. The premise is totally different to anything I’ve read before and I would pay good money to take a step inside the mind of Kirsty Applebaum! Her originality and creativity are second to none.

Lonny is a lifeling: he has the power to bring any living thing back from the brink of death, however this is at the cost of his own future. For his own safety, he must stay hidden in the forest, until one day the wider world comes knocking. Can Lonny keep his power hidden or will he become old before his time?

I lapped up every single word of this book - I could not put it down. It really was an emotional rollercoaster and I was invested in the characters that Kirsty had so beautifully created. I cannot wait to share this story with my class; I think it’s totally different to anything they will have read before and I know they’ll love it just as much as I have. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I’m not at all surprised by how much I adore this beautiful book. I’ve seen so many raving reviews and was instantly hooked by the blurb, having devoured it in one sitting I can confirm it’s even more wonderful than I’d hoped. This is one book who’s praises I’ll be singing, smashed my high expectations and cannot recommend highly enough!

The Life and Times of Lonny Quicke
Kirsty Applebaum - 2021

“Sometimes you really do have to put time to one side and make the right now the thing that really matters.” - Jess

10 word summary: A fabulous modern day fairytale - my FAVOURITE book this year!

When you’re still reading at 1am on a school night because you need to find out what happens, you know it’s an incredible book! As a huge fan of The Middler I couldn’t wait to read this! It’s absolutely incredible… it’s emotional, thought provoking, beautifully written… and, big statement, my favourite book that I’ve read this year!

Twelve-year-old Lonny Quicke has an incredible power - he’s a lifeling. He can sense if any creature nearby (a fly, a rabbit or even a person) is about to die and has the ability to cure them and bring them back from the dead. But, each time he does this, he shortens his own life…

To keep him safe and stop people finding out about his power, Lonny lives in the forest with his father (a watchmaker), grandfather and younger brother - Midge, near the town of Farstoke. His mother died when Midge was born and all Lonny has left of her is her photo album, showing all the places that she visited (London, Prague, Paris to name a few). Fed up with his life in the forest, he wants to visit those places to but he can’t because, if people found out what he could do, he could end up with no life left… being away from people is his only protection.

But, when the family end up with no money for food and his dad won’t get out of bed, Lonny asks Jess - who collects watches from his father - for a job and she takes him and Midge into Farstoke, the town that they have never visited, where they meet her family (and one very sick relative…). There’s a festival going on in Farstoke - a festival to celebrate the story of the lifelings… they lock the gates to the town for 24 hours. No one gets out. No one gets in. Lonny must be careful.

Year group: Year 4+

In the classroom: I absolutely adored this book and I think it could open up some philosophical discussions in the classroom about giving life at the cost of your own and the worth of life. The imagery that the language creates is stunning as well, and setting descriptions around the town and the forest. Comparing and contrasting the stories that Lonny’s families have been told and the stories that are told in the town would be amazing as well.

*I read an e-version of this book on NetGalley but have also purchased a copy to share with my class - thank you!*

Can you put a price on a life? Is one life worth more than another? Should one life be saved over another? Is it even possible to choose which animals and people are worth saving? And if it is, should we really be interfering in the life cycle? So many big, philosophical questions, so many choices to be made. Kirsty Applebaum’s third book is utterly compelling from first page to last.

Ever since he was born, twelve-year-old Lonny Quicke has been shielded from the dangers of the outside world, hidden away in a forest away from the people of Farstoke. The reason, Lonny is a lifeling - a unique individual with the power to bring back life to living things that are on the brink of death. But every life saved comes at a price. Using his power to save a life shortens his own life; sometimes by minutes, sometimes by days, sometimes by weeks, sometimes by years.

Lonny is desperate to see the world outside of his own and to find the memories of his dead mother. But that means venturing outside of the forest and in doing so he may be forced to reveal his closely guarded secret…

The Life and Time of Lonny Quicke is a thought-provoking, enthralling and captivating read that is full of emotion. Applebaum expertly explores the ideas of love, life and time and challenges readers views and values throughout. Whilst the action is not fast-paced, it is full of tension and suspense and readers will come to fear the sounds of humming and buzzing that frequent Lonny’s mind. Applebaum wastes no time with gentle introductions, she immediately grabs the attention of the reader as they are drawn straight into a magical life-giving moment - the first of Lonny’s many decisions. Once you are hooked by the first chapter, Applebaum refuses to let you go. The closing of each chapter demands that you read the next and the promise to myself of just one more quickly turned to several more - needless to say, I couldn’t put the book down and it was read in one go.

The narrative is carried forward by deep and meaningful acts and difficult decisions that will have life-altering consequences - for both animals and humans. For every action has a consequence. Every decision that Lonny makes feels big. He seeks friendship but this will come at a price. He wants to live but is constantly being asked to give up his own life in order to save another. He desires freedom but living in safety and relative captivity provides the protection that he so desperately needs.

The story is steeped in mythical folklore; Farstoke people celebrate and worship the lifelings at their yearly festival, giving thanks in the hope that in their time of need a lifeling will appear. When Lonny is befriended by one of the Farstoke families he finds friends, foes and learns the lengths that desperate people will go to in order to save the ones they love.

Applebaum provides so many opportunities for discussion and for readers to explore their own morals and values. Just putting myself in Lonny’s position at once felt overwhelming; the choices, the responsibility, the power. I found myself scrutinising every decision that Lonny made and readers will be doing the same.

How do I feel after reading the book, drained, completely and totally emotionally drained. I say with some confidence that Kirsty Applebaum has written one of the best middle-grade books of 2021.

Recommended for 9+.

With thanks to Kirsty Applebaum and Nosy Crow for the advanced reader copy that was received through NetGalley.

Applebaum is fast becoming the master of unusual, pithy, accessible and thought-provoking middle grade fiction and The Life and Time of Lonny Quicke is another of her powerful standalone wonders. The premise of the book, which is established from the very first scene, is that Lonny is a Lifeling, a person who can give some of their life in order to give theirs to someone else. Lonny's father, who has suffered because of this family gift, has hidden Lonny and his brother away in the forest so that the almost inevitable revelation about Lonny's ability doesn't get out. Lonny however feels as though he has no life to speak of, kept away from others and stopped from exploring the world he is desperate to find out more about the world and his Mum, who died when he was very young.
The text is full of symbols of time, death and life. The style incorporates a lot of sounds, song and repeated phrases, and the affect of this is that it feels alive with the humming urgency of life and the ever present possibility of death. From the very start of the book you feel alert, as a reader who is experiencing the world from Lonny's point of view, to the very strong presence of death, dying and the cycle of life. It bring a tension to the book that never lets up. I genuinely couldn't put it down until I had finished it.
Applebaum deals with the philosophical questions about live and death, about what 'living' really is in a very deft, light manner. It's a thoughtful book without being heavy, mawkish or moralising. I think it will keep children turning pages and then afterwards find themselves thinking about some of the questions that the story quietly asks.
It's a short, self-contained, clear, wonder of a book that packs a punch that I think would surprise anyone not already familiar with Applebaum's work. Read it!

Over the past few weeks, I’ve read several titles by authors who are well-known to many in the children’s book reading community on Twitter but have been new to me. The latest of these books is this one – Kirstie Applebaum’s third middle grade title – which has been on my radar together with those first two books, Troofriend and The Middler, for some time now.

In common with many other readers, I just don’t have enough time to read all of the books that I would like to, but when I spotted this title on Net Galley, a week ahead of its publication, I requested it on impulse – working on the premise that because I always prioritise reading those books which I have asked for, this would not slip past me unnoticed. Having now finished it, I can only wonder why I haven’t read the author’s other titles as yet because – if they are anything like this – then they too must be stories which would have me on the edge of my seat throughout, and ones where the ending would leave me stunned.

It would be very foolish of me to start talking at this point about that ending, so let us instead turn our attention to the start of the story where we find Lonny and younger brother Midge gathering mushrooms in the forest close to their home. Lonny can hear a buzzing sound, one to which Midge is oblivious, alerting him to the presence of a dying rabbit, which he heals simply by his touch – losing some of his own life in the process. As they turn to return home, they come across a dog running about and do their best to avoid being seen by the two girls accompanying it.

When they get back, the boys’ father sends Lonny upstairs to check on their grandfather who tells Lonny a story relating how an ancestor of Lonny’s gave birth to a lifeling – an individual with the ability to give part of their own life to an animal or human in danger of losing their own, before reminding him of the family’s need to stay hidden in the forest to keep them all safe.

After Midge takes something of Lonny’s, the boys fight over it – causing the many tiny parts of the pocket watches their father was trying to repair to be spilled on the floor, with the result that Mr Quicke takes to his bed. With no food in the house – and no money – when a woman called Jess comes to collect the watches, Lonny asks her for a job to earn enough to feed the family and she takes both him and Midge to the nearby town of Farstoke to help her.

Here, the boys soon meet Jess’s family – including the two girls from the forest, who tell the boys about the festival which is about to start in the town celebrating lifelings. Intrigued by what they have seen and heard in the town, it is not long before the brothers return, expressly against their father’s wishes, nor is it too long before Lonny again hears the hum that tells him a life is about to be lost. Will the boys be able to keep Lonny’s secret from the residents of Farstoke? And what will happen to Lonny if they can’t…?

Whenever I ask my class to write about a setting which is scary, the vast majority of them will choose a forest but here that stereotype is reversed so that only hidden away within the trees is Lonny safe. This gives the book a really unsettling feeling when the narrative switches to the town because the reader knows that the festival – something which should be joyous, and which would give huge pleasure to most of us were we to take part – is not safe: not safe at all. From the very first pages of the book, we understand that for Lonny it is not just human lives ebbing away which cause his humming, it is even the smallest of creatures which will do so, and I found myself on tenterhooks the whole way through the book anticipating who or what would threaten not only Lonny’s lifespan, but also his secret existence as a lifeling.

The very normality of the vast majority of the story – with the exception of Lonny being a lifeling – makes it all the more credible, especially with regard to the relationship between the brothers. They are at the age where, although they love one another deeply, they also experience that friction that often accompanies siblings – where each bears a dislike and resentment of the other, for whatever reason, and they cannot see that the rules imposed upon them are done so to keep them safe, as an act of parental love. Where all children push against the boundaries imposed upon them in real life – and in the main get away with it – here, that pushing is bound to end in something dreadful and along the way there are so many twists and turns that when that something finally happens I had my heart in my mouth in disbelief, as will many other readers.

I know many children in upper KS2 who would absolutely love this, as would those in KS3. It is hugely original, gripping and tense throughout and would make a great class reader in Year 6, with the possibility of some great philosophical discussions around the themes of saving a life at the cost of your own and whether one life is worth more than another. I absolutely loved it and will definitely be making more of an effort to go back to Kirsty Applebaum’s other writing.

As always, enormous thanks must go to Nosy Crow and Net Galley for my advance read ahead of publication on May 6th. A perfect 5 out of 5 stars.

The intriguing premise of Lonny Quicke has had me waiting for a chance to read it, with lots of twitter love (much deserved!) This is compellingly written and didn't disappoint! Folklore & fairies contrast against a modern world, the struggle for freedom against safety at home & the overwhelming desire to save others, despite a cost to one's self. Perfect for Philosophy For Children and KS2, I loved Lonny and I'm sure children 8+ will too!