Tolver and Sam worked so brilliantly opposite each other. I greatly enjoyed how the two boys find themselves in a similar pickle despite one of them trying to make life better for him and his nan and the other tries to save his own hide. It’s effective, and the word play here is clever. In the audiobook, the bits where characters try to say words which were stolen from them were executed in such a fun way. But it also works within the narrative, with character reactions ranging from empathy on one of the spectrum to frustration on the other.

The relationships between the kids were great, but I loved the inclusion of complicated and not-always-right adults. Even these relationship have several dimensions and don’t all look like each other. My particular favorite is the evolution of Sam’s relationship with Ms. Malloy from the beginning to the end of the book.

Wilde cleverly delivers a hard-learned lesson about not misusing words with the way Sam develops from start to finish. Getting the words back doesn’t necessarily mean that everything is fixed. But he is one step closer to healing old wounds, and it is so neatly wrapped up in the end.