J.J. Liddy, the main character of Kate Thompson’s novel The New Policeman, has a problem: there never seems to be enough time in the day. In fact, there seems to be decidedly less time. With barely enough hours in the day for school and his music, J.J. has no time left over to contemplate the shocking revelation that his grandfather may have been a murderer. To make matters worse, this time problem seems to affect everyone in Kinvara.When J.J.’s mother reveals that she wants more time for her birthday, J.J. decides to go and find some. A task, at first, that seems like an impossible undertaking for a fifteen-year-old. That is until a neighbor shows J.J. an unlikely place to look for everyone’s lost time.Even though he doesn’t believe in fairies, J.J. finds himself in Tir na n’Og, the land of eternal youth, and the home of Irish fairies. So begins J.J.’s search of Tir na n’Og to figure out where the time has gone and, more importantly, how to get it back. Along the way J.J. meets a variety of memorable characters including Aengus Og (a personal favorite after finishing the novel).The narration shifts throughout the book alternating between J.J. in his search for the county’s lost time and the wanderings of the new policeman in Kinvara, Garda Larry O’Dwyer. Like J.J. (and most of Kinvara it seems), the new policeman has a love for music. The new policeman is also almost certain he used to have a good reason for becoming a policeman—if only he could remember what it was.Thompson expertly entwines these two seemingly disconnected narratives throughout the novel. The common thread between them remains the music that literally runs through the novel. Chapter breaks are denoted by sheet music for traditional Irish songs whose titles relate to the story in addition to the strong affinity all of the characters have for music. By the end of the novel, Thompson ties together both stories creating a sensational end to a truly enjoyable book.At the same time, The New Policeman is irresistibly Irish, as if you can hear an Irish accent in the narration (or hear a jig or two in the background). The book’s “Irish-ness” is enhanced by Thompson’s integration of Irish mythology and folklore; a glossary in the back explains the pronunciation and origin of especially Irish words like ceili (a dance) or craic (fun).Thompson’s novel has already received a variety of critical acclaim on the other side of the Atlantic. In addition it is the winner of the Whitbread Children’s Book Award and the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize. Even better, though, is the fact that this book is a great choice for readers of any age. Thompson takes her time arriving at the crux of the plot, but the richness or her writing more than makes up for that. A good book is one that can transport the reader to the place within its pages: The New Policeman does that and more.Originally published in Great Britain in 2005, this is the first year that The New Policeman was published in the United States. All this reviewer can say to that is it’s better late than never.
***REQUIRED***This lengthy novel tells the story of J.J., an Irish teen whose family is deeply connected Irish culture and music. After learning about his intriguing past and his connection to Irish music, J.J. goes on a journey to buy some more time, as it seems to pass increasingly faster for everyone in the village. J.J. finds his way to the land of the fairies, the land of eternal youth, where he finds that time is slipping from our world to theirs, thus aging the previously-ageless fairies. He and a mysterious fairy prince search the fairy land to discover the leak and fix it. The novel closes when J.J. fixes the leak (in a highly simplistic manner), goes back to his home, and has a new found connection to his past and culture. There is a small, insignificant side plot woven throughout the novel, in which a man who has just moved to town and joined the police force tries to remember why he decided to be a policeman and tries to adjust to his new surroundings. In the end, it turns out that this side plot has little or no bearing on the actual plot. This book is an easy but long read appropriate for anyone as young as sixth grade. The language is simple (with a glossary included to define Irish/Celtic words/mythology that show up in the novel) and there are no serious issues dealt with here. This is a fun coming-of-age quest story that will appeal towards readers who enjoy learning about Irish culture/cultures in general and/or love fantasy novels. The author throws in some interesting thoughts about life and how we spend our time, but these insights seem to be inserted as an after thought. In all, unless you love fantasy and/or enjoy Irish culture, this book requires a lot of patience to get through.
What do You think about The New Policeman (2007)?
I picked this book up from the library shelf, thinking it was new. Then I started wondering if I remembered this bit & that bit... Checked the copyright date. Oh. Its old. But still relevant!It seems that everyone in this village in Ireland is short of time. There's fiddling & going to school & hanging out with friends, but not enough time for everything, the way it used to be.Young J.J. finds out that his grandpa killed a priest over a flute - say what? His mom tells him her version of events, and so for her birthday, J.J. is going to get her just what she wants - more time. He goes to Fairy Land - Tir na n'Og - and after wandering around for a while, figures out a solution!Meanwhile, the New Policeman is trying to figure out why he became a policeman, and he's losing more time than anyone. What's he doing in this plot? And how does the dead priest play in?Each chapter ends with a bit of sheet-music for the song which inspired character names. Fun story, and not at all a waste of time to re-read ;)
—Sylvia McIvers
I thought that The New Policeman was a pretty good book all around. I was a little bit confused throughout the book until the end when the author wrapped everything all up. The connections she made at the end really made the whole book make sense. As I was reading about the different people at the beginning of the book disappearing, it really made me more interested in the book and I wanted to know what had happened to them and how it all tied in with the main story line. I thought the author did a really good job tying in all of the Irish culture and superstitions. I felt like I really learned a lot about them. I also really like how the music was added into the book; I only wish I could listen to it to know what it is. I also thought it was really helpful having the glossary in the back of the book because there were so many words used that I didn’t understand and normally wouldn’t.I would recommend this book to any young adult reader. It was all around fun and I want to go now and read the next books in the series.
—Laura Garding
They often say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but in the case of this book, don’t judge it by its title. While the book sounds downright boring at first, the reader will quickly find that the title has little to do with this brilliantly imaginative story. Irish boy JJ Liddy and his family are naturally gifted music players with a hidden secret that JJ struggles with. Along with this struggle, the town is always in a rush, wishing for more time. On his quest for the missing time he discovers the truth about his past and ultimately himself. While the title seems unfitting at first, when the book comes to a close, the mysterious pieces of the story all fall into place, making the title clearer. While the author could have used a different title more fitting to the book, the elusive title adds intrigue to the book. Additionally, the story itself is captivating and the plot immediately pulls you in. Overall, this clever novel combines elements of Irish folklore and history into a story that people of all ages are able to enjoy.
—Devon
