Focus on Friendship in The Doldrums


After Hermione, Ron, and Harry, comes Archer, Oliver, and Adelaide. In Nicholas Gannon’s first in his Doldrums series, the author introduces the three characters who will fuel his books about friendship and adventure.


Archer Helmsley is nine years old when his grandparents disappear while exploring an iceberg in Antarctica. At 11, he and his two friends set out to find them. Much of The Doldrums is spent laying out the relationships between the three and exploring their back stories. 

Each of the children has their strengths and their weaknesses. Archer has been held under house arrest, more or less, by his worrisome mother, but he has his grandparents’ spirit of adventure. While Oliver bears enough anxiety for the three of them, he’s also a planner, and contributes to the group through his thoughtful devising. Perhaps the most interesting origin story belongs to Adelaide, a former ballerina who lost her leg during a freakish but unglamorous accident. When she moves to Archer’s town and the rumors at her and the boys’ school spreads that her leg was bitten off by a crocodile, she plays into it. The three work through their weaknesses by bolstering each other, showing the reader a cooperation that’s both fun and endearing. 

Gannon three distinct characters, put into a silly, exciting world, prove an entertaining read and a lesson on friendship.  

Thanks to Meghan McLeod for recommending The Doldrums.




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