Matthew's parents are worried. At eleven, he's much too old to have an imaginary friend, yet they find him talking to and arguing with a presence that even he admits is not physically there. This presence - Chocky - causes Matthew to ask difficult questions and say startling things: he speaks of complex mathematics and mocks human progress. Then, when Matthew does something incredible, it seems there is more than the imaginary about Chocky. Which is when others become interested and ask questions of their own: who is Chocky? And what could it want with an eleven-year-old boy?

I have always associated this author with SF but this final work delves into the mind of a young child. Matthew is not unusual in having an imaginary friend and it is here that Wyndham crafts a great little story. Sending to wishlist tag recipient.

Arrived safely along with its lovely bookmark. Thanks for your generosity I look forward to reading it.

This is a fairly short novel so I don't want to say much more about the plot but will say is that it’s not difficult to work out what is going on. The science fiction elements are subtle and the book is as much about the relationship between parents and children until the final chapter however this is also a book with a real message, it's brevity means that not a word is wasted making it a quick and compelling read which I would certainly recommend.

Going out as part of a Reading it/ Want it thread to hopefully make a new friend. Enjoy!

RECEIVED in the post from 4evagreen and just taken out of quarantine. Thanks very much. I'm a John Wyndham fan but hadn't heard of this one. Will look forward to reading it.

REVIEW:-"I really enjoyed this story which I read over the course of two or three days. I've been a fan of John Wyndham since being given The Midwich Cuckoos to read/study for my English Literature exam at school. (I then went on to read
several of his other novels). The concept of the book was interesting yet scary and I even learnt a few new words and phrases along the way. I thought that, at times, Matthew was a very naive 11 year old on some levels but I did feel compassion towards him and his family as they tried to cope with events way out of their control. I was however pleased with the conclusion to the story which I found very thought-provoking.
Reserving for another bookcrosser.

This book will be sent to Plum-Crazy as she said she fancies reading it. I hope she enjoys it as much as I did.

To the finder:-
Welcome to bookcrossing -you have found a travelling book. Please make a journal entry now to say where you found the book in case it has been moved. Then, when you have read it, please come back and make a further entry saying whether or not you enjoyed the book and why. It is now yours to do as you like with it, pass it to a friend or just leave it somewhere different for someone else to find and help it with its' journey. Of course if you can't bear to part with it at the moment then keep it, but please let me know that you have found it. If you join bookcrossing, which is free and spam-free, you can follow the book on its' travels as you will get an email each time it changes hands, but if you prefer to remain anonymous, that's fine too. Please also say what you intend to do with the book next. Thanks for coming onto the site to let me know you have found the book.

I already have books travelling in many countries around the world-a list can be found on my bookcrossing profile.

When re-releasing this book please be aware that airports are not a good place to leave books unless they have a specific book exchange shelf or area, due to security problems, so they may well just be disposed of. Also charity shops may well discard books that have been labelled in any way and they mostly chose only the books in the very best condition
to place on their shelves and discard the rest-so another bad release option.

Thanks for this daff, it sounds very intriguing...& rather creepy!

If I'd seen this sitting on a shelf I would've thought "Mmm...sci-fi, not my thing" & walked on by, so how lucky I was that daff recommended it to me - I would have missed a treat!

It's a short read & I was surprised how readable it was ( I got quite engrossed & read it in an afternoon). It was rather thought provoking, raising issues that are prevalent today despite being written a good 55 years ago (what a different book it would be set in the social media obsessed world of today!)

Obviously there's a sci-fi element at its core but it's also a book about learning & friendship, & how children & adults perceive & accept things in different ways.

There's a quote on the back cover which sums it up pretty well for me:
"...The idea of an alien intelligence inhabiting a child is always frightening. But here Wyndham turns a story of "possession" into a touching fable about our profligate use of the planet."

Read y to go off in a birthday package - HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Released as part of the 2022 TV BOOK RELEASE CHALLENGE (#30)

Ready to go off in a birthday package - HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Released as part of the 2022 TV BOOK RELEASE CHALLENGE (#30)

This wishlist book arrived in a parcel that was a pressie from the UK birthday group. Thank you. I look forward to reading it x