The New Policeman

Starred review from December 11, 2006
Irish author Thompson's enchanting story may be a long book but it reads quickly—fitting since it's about irregularities in the passage of time. J.J. Liddy, 15, lives in a village on Ireland's fabled west coast where the prevailing complaint is about too-busy adults and overprogrammed kids ("Children could scarcely even find time for making mischief"). "Time" is what J.J.'s mother wants most for her birthday. The Liddys, renowned musicians for generations, regularly host a céilí (dance) with musicians and step-dancers at their home. But though J.J. is a gifted musician himself, he wants to be two places at once when a friend suggests they go clubbing the same night as the monthly céilí. En route to turn his friend down, J.J. is waylaid by a woman who knows why time is flying by but needs J.J. (for reasons having to do with his family history) to fix it. The problem has nothing to do with Ireland joining the E.U., as many locals believe, but rather with events in Tír na n'Óg, the fairy kingdom. As J.J. puts it, "Time is leaking out of our world into yours"—a deadly development, since heretofore the "little people" had enjoyed eternal life. Thompson's nifty plotting mines a rich vein of Irish faerie lore and magic for this meditation on the losses that modernization brings. The book is a kind of love song to traditional Irish music, every chapter ends with a melody. Readers may wish the book came with a CD. Ages 10-up.

Starred review from March 1, 2007
Gr 7-10-J.J. Liddy, 15, is descended from a proud old family of Irish musicians. In his small village of Kinvara, playing traditional music is a way of life. Lately, though, it seems that the townspeople have less and less time to fulfill daily responsibilities and very few moments left over to make music and enjoy life. In exasperation, J.J.'s mother asks for more time as her birthday gift. Unaware of any magical implications, the teen innocently sets out to find out where the time has gone. This search leads him into the heart of Tí r na n'Ó g, the land of eternal youth, where he discovers the truth about some family secrets and the identity of the rather hopeless new town policeman, whose mysterious investigation parallels J.J.'s quest. This novel delivers richly tantalizing morsels of Irish mythology as traditional characters dance across the pages. In a story interspersed with snippets of Irish jigs that reflect the progress of the tale, Thompson has masterfully woven together melody and harmony into a tune that will lead readers to a splendid, rollicking crescendo. Some unfamiliar Irish terminology might make comprehension difficult for those who struggle with reading, but the glossary will help mature readers. Those who follow this story through to the end will not be disappointed."Heather M. Campbell, Philip S. Miller Library, Castle Rock, CO"

Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from March 1, 2007
A refreshingly non-Arthurian fantasy draws on traditional Irish legends of Tr na n'+g, a timeless land where the carefree sidhe (the fairy folk, pronounced "she") make music, mischief, and occasional forays into the "ploddy" world-that is, ours. Unfortunately, and destructively, time is leaking out of the human world and into Tr na n'+g. Fifteen-year-old fiddle player J.J. determines to fulfill his mother's wish for more time; in the process, he solves the mysterious time-skin leak (created by a self-righteous priest opposed to pagan influence) and finds his grandfather, gone missing many years before. This is a complex plot with alternating narratives in parallel worlds, enigmatic subplots, and a large cast, including Fionn Mac Cumhail's injured wolfhound, Bran; a fairy goat that doubles, when caught, as a drum; and the Dagda and his son Aengus +g, the titular policeman, or garda, who has trouble remembering what he's supposed to be doing in either world. The story sometimes gets a bit crowded but winds into a suspenseful climax, with a crafty conclusion that solves all the puzzles without seeming predictably neat. The characters maintain their dry humor while deepening as the action progresses; the setting (in the Burren, and involving secret souterrains under ancient ring forts) is vivid. Traditional tunes end each brief chapter, and a pronunciation guide and glossary for words such as cil are included. For those who appreciate an original twist on authentic lore, this will be spellbinding.

(Copyright 2007 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)