The New Policeman

J.J. Liddy, a young musician and dancer living in the small Irish village of Kinvara, finds that time is becoming scarcer and scarcer in this immensely entertaining work of children's fantasy. When his mother, who is also a musician, asks for more time for her birthday, J.J. sets out to find it, discovering that quite a bit of his world's time has been slipping into the fairy realm of Tír na nÓg, doing damage to both places. As J.J. travels into Tír na nÓg in search of lost time, meeting many unforgettable characters along the way, the new policeman in Kinvara, Garda Larry O’Dwyer, also seeks after something, although he can't quite recall what it is...

As someone who loves both Irish mythology and Irish 'trad' (traditional folk show more music), I found Kate Thompson's The New Policeman absolutely marvelous, enjoying it from beginning to end. Journey stories of this sort, in which children encounter the figures of fairy and folklore, are well established in the world of Irish children's literature - Patricia Lynch's 1934 The Turf Cutter's Donkey and Pat O'Shea's 1985 The Hounds of the Morrigan are two notable examples - but Thompson manages to do something a little bit different with her tale, in which both human and fairy-folk are on the move. The incorporation of music - I counted at least twenty-three different named tunes and songs, while reading - was also lovely, and made me wish for an accompanying CD! Recommended to anyone who enjoys myth-tinged fantasy fiction, or who has a weakness for Irish music. show less

This is the first book in The New Policeman trilogy. I enjoyed this book; it was a unique middle grade novel that was a blend of fantasy, time travel, faerie, and music elements. It was a quick and easy read that I found really interesting and engaging. This book is a very complete story all on its own.

The people of Kinvara can’t figure out why they are always so pressed for time. Time seems to be literally slipping away from them. When J.J’s mother asks for more time for her birthday J.J. is determined to oblige her. What starts as a quick jaunt to bring a neighbor some cheese quickly turns into an adventure in a different world where time is supposed to stand still.

This story takes awhile to get going. The first hundred pages or show more so are dedicated to learning about J.J.’s ancestors and their strange musical past. Each chapter has a short piece of music after it (which I did not go and play) about something that was discussed in the preceding chapter.

I enjoyed the writing style. This was a very engaging story, the characters were likable, and I enjoyed J.J.’s close relationship with his family. Once the story got moving I was sucked into the mystery behind the time leak and curious about the other world.

Overall this was a great story. I ended up really enjoying the plot, the characters, and the magic. I would recommend to middle grade and older readers who are interested in faerie and time travel. I am unsure whether or not I will read the next two books in the series; this book wraps up the story nicely and I don’t really need anything more to read right now. show less

where is all the time going? That's what JJ must figure out. Along the way he uncovers some family truths in this spirited Irish story.
Some of the characters are not nearly as drawn out as they could be but overall the storytelling was wonderful. Of especial note is the interweaving of traditional Irish folklore into this modern story.

JJ wants to get his mother more time for her Birthday. JJ is a nice Irish boy torn between his desire to fit in with friends and to embrace his irish music/dancing heritage. His quest for time takes his to the land of the fairies, where he learns what happens to those socks that get lost in the laundry (there's a "sock leak" between their world and ours), solves the problem of why there is so little time these days and resolves a family mystery. This original story incorporates irish folklore in a fun way, is filled with music and tells an intricate tale well enough to hold readers attention. grades 5 and up

When will publishers learn to put a CD in a book??? I am going to find a fiddle player, record the reels and jigs, and put copies in all the books I can find. So there.

I liked this book a lot more after I finished it. The sum of the parts is much greater than the parts themselves. It's a little slow, but good.

It also captures the joy of playing music as well as any other book. My other favorite for that is [book: The Maestro] by [author: Tim Wynne-Jones].

Reviewed by Candace Cunard for TeensReadToo.com

There is never enough time in the small Irish town of Kinvara. People go about their daily business at top speed: children rush to catch school buses that are inevitably late, parents never make it to work on time, and even the elderly complain that there's just not enough time in the day. Everyone agrees that it wasn't always this way, but no one can pinpoint exactly when time started seeping out of their lives. Although everyone can feel the time leak, no one can prove its existence, and so although everyone complains about it, no one does anything to stop it.

No one, that is, until J.J. Liddy's mother insists that the only thing she truly wants for her birthday is more time. J.J. show more understands his mother's desire, and wishes that he could find a way to help her get the gift she really wants this year, but like everyone else he feels that it's hopeless to wish for something that will never come.

However, Ireland is rich with history and mythology, and the two often become confused with each other. For J.J., a revelation about his own family history leads to a series of interconnected discoveries, eventually causing him to stumble into the mythical Tor na n'og, the Land of Eternal Youth. There, time is supposed to stand still, but J.J.'s visit there shows him that time is passing there, albeit very slowly. Somehow, time is leaking from the real world into Tor na n'og, and as the only person who knows the truth of the leak, J.J. is the only person who can stop it. Along the way, he begins to unravel the secrets of his history, both recent and distant, as the legends of Ireland come to life around him.

I thoroughly enjoyed this tale, steeped as it was in the richness of Irish legends and tradition. All of the chapters were named after Irish dance tunes, the first few measures of which are presented in musical notation along with the chapter heading. My personal knowledge of Irish mythology allowed me a greater understanding of what was going on throughout the story, but for readers unfamiliar with the setting, Thompson includes a concise but helpful glossary of definitions and pronunciations. The story itself started a bit slowly, but once it picked up, it became practically impossible to put down. show less

Did you ever really wonder what happens to that sock lost in the laundry? Have you ever wanted to record a sound track for a favorite novel? Where does our time go? The New Policeman fiddles with all sorts of theories, including what happens to our missing laundry socks. Solidly grounded in Irish mythology, The New Policeman follows Liddy as she searches for answers. Why is there so little time for music anymore? Why is her traditional Irish musician family too busy to play?

My friend and fellow BBYA member, Amy Chow, is an accomplished violinist. She says:

“The music that follows each chapter musically describes the chapter itself…. The piece ‘A cup of tea’ (page 31) is a melody that runs on, barely stopping for a breath, show more gaining in tension that never really gets released, and has a repeated note figure followed by an alternating figure with the bottom note the same as the repeated note. All this right before the story says, ‘There was never enough time,’ and right after, ‘a mad race to pack in all the things that needed to be done.’ The passage following the music has very short sentences and much the same feeling that was described in the song ‘a cup of tea.’ It's ironic that there is barely enough time for a rushed cup of tea.”

Readers fluent in music have an added level of enjoyment to an exceptional and unique piece of writing. Otherwise readers may wish to play Celtic music while reading this one; I recommend it! This is another of my favorites to win Printz recognition this year. show less