In a Small, Quiet Village (Where Nothing Much Ever Happens)
by Ian Anthony Hollis

A seemingly ordinary village has very curious happenings in this magical realism upper-middle grade novel.

Before the wayfaring Adam arrived in the small village, his grandfather apprised him that the place was, “Like a beacon of hope…That small, quiet village where nothing much ever happens. Where you’ll want for nothing, and ordinary people live ordinary lives.” The village welcomed him instantly, after all it’s not every day that someone new visits. The families of ten-year-old Jacob and his best friend, fourteen-year-old Sabrina, put Adam up in an abandoned house and make him the guest of honor at a lamb roast.

Nineteen-year-old Belle and her best friend Donna are contentedly predictable, eating their sack lunches each day on the porch steps of Grandpa and Grandma’s house—who are not actually their grandparents but all the villagers call them that. Amanda, nearly the same age as Adam, tells the newcomer, “I kind of think of this place like a book. Everyone’s their own main character in their own stories, and supporting cast in everyone else’s stories…I honestly haven’t seen much more of the world than what this place has to offer, but I love it here so much, why would I ever want to leave?”

Young Jacob and Sabrina enjoy spending their days together on little adventures, often walking the long path to what Jacob calls the “inconvenience store” due to its distance, and the old abandoned and dilapidated train station which, inexplicably, contains a perfectly working vending machine—no one knew who put it there, who filled it, or who maintained it—where they would enjoy a soda together.

When a disastrous storm wreaks havoc in the village, tragedy ensues and grief, loss, and uncertainty fill the village. With some moving on from the hamlet, needing to carve their own path, the rest are left wondering what the future will bring and how long it will be until the village returns to its ordinary, quiet place once again.

A masterful literary work for upper middle-graders, steeped with subtle threads of magic in the mundane, creating a seemingly ordinary tale with extraordinary details, In a Small, Quiet Village (Where Nothing Much Ever Happens) is the first title in the Cities & Villages saga.

4.5 out of 5 fairies

Where to start? There’s so much I want to say about this book, but I don’t want to give any spoilers! I love this book so much. It’s odd, it’s quirky, yet something about it just draws you in, and next thing you know it’s hours later, and you’re over halfway through! My only real complaint is that sometimes the timeline gets a little confusing, but other than that I thoroughly enjoyed this book (even the sad parts). (Warning for character death). This was a great way to straddle the divide between upper middle grade and lower young adult, and I cannot wait to read more in the series!

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Two-time award winning novelist, Ian A. Hollis, (Firebird Awards (July 2022),Literary Titan Book Award Winner (August 2022)), has always been interested in creative writing and, after taking a course at University of New South Wales in 2012, the beginnings of an upper-middle grade novel began percolating. Ten years later, he completed In a Small, Quiet Village (Where Nothing Much Ever Happens), what he describes as a slice-of-life, light-hearted drama with elements of magical realism.

Movies are a big inspiration for Ian when he writes. Films like folksy Fried Green Tomatoes (at the Whistlestop Café), and the coming-of-age Japanese movies A Gentle Breeze in the Village, and Fireflies: River of Light shaped Ian’s approach to writing. He thinks a great book is one that readers can relate to and that keeps them engaged mentally and emotionally. He hopes his story evokes something out of his young readers that stays with them long after the book is closed.

When he’s not writing thought-provoking books for middle grade readers and young adults, Ian enjoys watching movies, listening to music, playing piano, engaging on social media, and playing video games. A composer of music, Ian taught English in China for five years and now teaches students online where he lives on the Mid-North Coast of New South Wales, Australia. In a Small Quiet Village (Where Nothing Much Ever Happens) is the debut book in his Cities & Villages saga.

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