“The rugged shores of Scotland, with its heaths and highlands, serves as a backdrop for the inviting faerie tale-like story of Liam McPhee, an eleven year old hero, who faces an array of almost insurmountable challenges in a young adult fantasy designed to attract all ages with its Scottish roots and high adventure. Liam McPhee & The Thief of Laughter is a refreshingly original story with enough twists and turns to make it a top pick for all ages of readers.
The first thing to note about Liam McPhee & The Thief of Laughter is that the story was written for the author’s own Scottish grandchildren, which lends it a feisty sense of reality as the young people immersed in their Scottish roots find adventure in the most unremarkable of places.
Another powerful facet of this story lies in its atmosphere. From the busy docks of the town to a book-loving man’s determination to involve kids in reading, the tale is filled with atmosphere and description that pull readers into its setting and culture: “Willow liked to scrunch-up the wee children of Scrucheon Road in large oversized chairs with worn and exotic books from all corners of the globe. In fact, you might find old Willow himself, reading out-loud, the pages of some tattered book, delighting the children of the neighborhood with tales old and new. Nothing seemed remarkable about that at all, nor did it seem remarkable that the inhabitants of the street were jolly or happy or gleeful from early misty mornings and stayed that way until the misty night pulled in another foggy dew covered dawn over the cobbled lane. Aye, Scruncheon Road was a delightfully happy place.”
This is a good place to mention that Scottish brogue appears frequently in the dialogue (“Oh, Sally, goo’ morning to ye,” Liam greeted.”), so young readers should be prepared for this as the story thickens.
And what a story it is! An evil fairy and a pirate (among others) decide to steal the laughter of the children of Scotland to use this for ransom – and what’s more, they are successful! One might think that would be the end of this story, but it’s only the beginning. Eleven-year-old Liam is a formidable, feisty young hero, but the evil Glaistig is equally cunning and well-presented: “I want you to steal every last laugh. I want all the laughter in Scotland captured and put in that cup. I don’t want to hear another laugh. Not ever.”
“A refreshing original story with enough twists and turns for all ages of readers.” Mid-West Book Review
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/m-evangeline/liam-mcphee-and-thief-laughter/
