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!

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.