The Knot Impossible (A Tale of Fontania)
Gecko Press
Barbara Else
Pub. 2015

June 15, 2021

The Knot Impossible (A Tale of Fontania) is written by Barbara Else and published by Gecko Press. It’s a book about being away from family and how to get through it.

In this story, we live through the eyes of Rufkin. His mother, father and sibling are all famous actors but Rufkin suffers from stage fright. He gets sent off to a friend of his parents for them to look after him, and while there he gets caught up in a mighty sea adventure.

It was easy to understand who the main character was but as I got more into the book, but I found it harder and harder to figure out who to focus on. Fantasy lovers would probably really enjoy this book.

I think the message the author is trying to tell us is that heroes can be scared on the inside even if they act tough on the outside. Maybe also that not all families are perfect.

My favourite characters include Nissy, Vosco and Madam Butterly. Even though the Madam is kind of the villain in the story I enjoy how she hides it so nobody can really see it coming. The other characters in the story see her as a millionaire who just keeps to herself but then it turns out she is the villain.

Vosco is another favourite of mine. I enjoy how much he keeps to himself. For a four-year-old, he doesn’t speak much but then, who would if you lived like royalty? Because if you think about it, his parents must be very busy so he is surrounded by maids and butlers all day who probably could not care less about him. Nissy to me is just strange, but she is headstrong and knows what she wants to be when she’s older.

Sadly Nissy makes the mistake of asking Madam Butterly for advice which I am hoping in the future she does not follow.

• Jessica Dowling is 13 years old and lives in Hamilton.