This book was not what I had expected it to be at all. It was written in diary form which was a great way to see the boy, Pete, perspective on the situation. Pete's father has schizphrenia, which he does not know or understand at first and his mother had to "go away." The boy is initially kept from the outside world and family because of his father's condition. Pete is put into foster care, and discovers what really happened to his mother.

The central theme of this book could be unconditional love. The reason that this would fit is because Pete loved his father before he knew of his illness, and was determined to help him and love him just as much after he found out he had schizophrenia. His love is very inspiring and teaches us to love one another regardless of the situation at hand. ( )

Helicopter man is a story about a boy who's father has schizophrenia. The boy is isolated from life by his dad and eventually he is put in a foster home where he starts to learn how serious his dad illness is and learns what happened to his mother. ( )

Helicopter Man is a fantastic story written by Elizabeth Fensham about a boy who is isolated from life by his dad who has schizophrenia. The boy (pete) has little friends (except for some mice) and almost no life experience has to become "dad's dad". Pete eventually goes to a foster home and starts to realise his fathers illness and he starts to uncover the mystery of what happened to his mother.

It is very difficult to comment on Helicopter Man without saying too much and giving the entire story away. This is not a book to be judged on its blurb. Nobody can reveal what this novel is really about without spoiling the story for anybody who hasn’t read it. As such, there is really only one way of deciding whether you should read this book: to read it.

The sudden switch between two different plot lines can make this book a little slow in the beginning, and a little dull. This is not helped by the fact that this book is in the form of a diary with an entry every day, and so to show time passing by, Fensham must make readers wade through pages of nothing much happening. She hasn’t completely failed to make this book interesting, however, and instead has filled time with memories of Pete’s previous life, when his mother was alive and he wasn’t constantly on the run. At times, though, it can feel like the story isn’t going anywhere, and significant plot developments come not often enough to keep a reader engaged.

In its latter half, Helicopter Man answers questions we have all asked ourselves of children in trouble at some stage. Why won’t they let the authorities help them? Why do they keep lying? Do they really understand the situation they are in? Fensham’s perceptive explanations of these situations from the point of view of a child make her book a thought-provoking read, and show that there is really more to most problems than meets the eye.

Another thing that is commendable about Helicopter Man is the ending. In situations like the one presented in this book, when ‘happily ever after’ endings are unrealistic and not appropriate, it can be hard to resolve the plot without shattering the realism of the novel. Fensham, however, has done this very well, showing us the light at the end of the tunnel that we know Pete will someday reach, and helping him to solve some mysteries and triumph over some obstacles.

Helicopter Man is quite different from other novels, and is likely to be highly commended by some people, but it is not a book that I would read again for fun. To me, it is the kind of ‘interesting’ read that is good the first time, but would probably lose its value the second time. Recommended for people who don’t mind a slow, sedate read.

A great children's story set in Australia. Very real. ( )