Never Ignore A Possible.

My boys and I listened to this book in the car. Audio books are so fantastic when they are read well. It took us a long time to get through this book about the lovely Sophie. It is a full-length novel for older children. Listening to it for 15 minutes each day really stretched it out. When we finished my youngest, who is four said, “I say yes to Sophie.” We are listening to it for a second time.  

Roof Toppers by Katherine Rundell

It was Charles who found one-year-old Sophie floating on the English Channel in a cello case. The Queen Mary on which he and Sophie had been passengers sank very quickly. No adult females were thought to have survived.

Charles an English scholar, knows nothing about raising children, but Sophie is his responsibility. As she grows up Sophie’s memories of her mother keep her hopes alive. She remembers her mother playing the cello, dancing in trousers and most importantly waving to Sophie. Sophie remembers her still very much alive as the boat sank. But the adults in Sophie’s life, Charles and Miss Elliot the social worker who thinks everything about Sophie’s upbringing is inappropriate think there is no way a one year old could remember. It is impossible... or is it? Charles has taught Sophie to never ignore even the smallest possibility.

Ten years later, and Miss Elliot backed by the government authorities wants to take Sophie away from Charles. Sophie does not want live in an orphanage and she is convinced that her mother is still alive. She and Charles set off to Paris to try and find out who owned the cello case Sophie was found in.

Faced with opposition from the authorities, Sophie is forced into hiding. But it doesn’t stop Sophie from searching for her mother. Enter Matteo.

Matteo lives on the rooftops of Paris. He and his friends introduce Sophie to their dangerous and wildly free world. Like Sophie, Matteo and his friends are thought to be orphans and gather around Sophie in her quest to find her mother. They search Paris at night following the cello music. They encounter dangers from a rival gang and break into the police records building. Are Sophie’s memories just wishful thinking or are they made of more concentrate stuff? 

Katherine Rundell has a lovely way of creating a whole new world on the rooftops of Paris. This action packed and suspenseful novel will keep you glued to your favourite reading spot. It’s a lovely story of hope, friendship and striving towards a goal despite opposition. This is an excellent book. Rundell takes quite a familiar story of a child searching for their lost parent and tells it in a beautifully unique way.

Enjoy