posted on 25 Jan 2018

Zebra Crossing Soul Song by Sita Brahmachari

Sita Brahmachari’s new book for publisher Barrington Stoke’s ‘super readable’ series tells the story of the relationship between schoolboy, Lenny and Otis, the zebra crossing man outside his school. This is a tender story of friendship which starts when Lenny is just four years old and brings us to the present day when he’s resitting his final ‘A’ level – along the way and through the years Otis acts as philosopher, surrogate parent and even life-saver.

Lenny comes to rely on Otis because the two discover they’ve got a common language – music – and they share something through that medium that bonds them. But there’s something else too: Otis’ fondness for Lenny is more than just happenstance – there’s a sad secret in Otis’ past that has its part to play. I’m not going to tell you what that is because it’ll spoil the book for you.

Actually, Otis is a bit of a mystery. He not only likes music, he’s got a fabulous voice and he teaches Lenny his most favourite songs. He used to be a real life musician – but now he’s happy to be the ‘ferryman’ making sure the children cross the road safely. Something happened to him to make him leave his beloved music behind - but what? For Lenny that’s just one more question he’s trying to puzzle out.

And life generally is rapidly becoming more and more of a puzzle for the young man and there seem to be some things even Otis can’t sort out for him. He wants to be a musician – he’s a songwriter too - but he knows he needs to pass his exams – and then there’s Naira, a girl from his past who has come back into his life in the guise of a policewoman. It’s all just too confusing.

And then: disaster. Otis, who has not been well for some time, ‘loses it’ and creates a very public scene, the result of which is that he gives up his job and goes home to  St. Lucia to retire. However, not before he leaves his record player and record collection for Lenny to listen to.

Without Otis around Lenny feels a bit lost but he also knows the time has come for him to move on. But first he has to work out the mystery of Otis and what he’s meant to him over the years. So as he listens to the records Otis has left him, Lenny writes an email to Otis telling him just what his friendship and his music has done to change him and to help him grow. Eventually Otis replies and we discover the dark sadness behind Otis’ story. And again – I’m not telling.

Lenny decides he’ll go and visit Otis in St Lucia and we leave him as he walks and talks with Naira – a new future is opening for him.

I really love what Brahmachari has done with the music motif that runs through the book and it certainly resonated with me because certain records punctuate the significant moments of my past too – as I’m sure it does with so many people. It’s also presented graphically in the book as a sort of playlist that punctuates the different episodes of the story.

The music adds a lovely dimension to the book which also slips in plenty of other ‘issues’ that young adult readers will enjoy talking about but does it in a way that never stops being engaging and entertaining.

 

Terry Potter

January 2018