How to Build a Boat

A thirteen-year-old boy obsessed with colour, nature, and the impossible pursues two interconnected dreams: building a Perpetual Motion Machine and finding a way to connect with his mother, who died at his birth. As Jamie O'Neill navigates the confusion of a new school, he discovers two unexpected companions who help him make sense of his world. Elaine Feeney's novel weaves together the quirks of childhood wonder with the deeper yearnings for meaning and belonging.