Movies Showing Nowhere

This is a fun adventure story about time travel and memories! I really liked the main character and the story felt very immersive. There is a bit of a mystery, tension and heartfelt themes

If you could step into just one memory, which one would you choose?

Movies Showing Nowhere is the most intriguing story of family, loss and identity. Cate is lonely. Her mother died just as Cate was born and her father is, more often than not, lost in his own world. Only her pet rabbit listens to her thoughts and provides comfort.

Cate is skilled at “looking sideways” – not looking at the things that automatically draw your attention, but at what is right beside them instead. As a result, she sees things most people miss. She finds solitude in the “field-that-didn’t-exist” and takes photographs of the tiniest details so often overlooked. But she can’t find the one things she’s always looking for – her mum.

When a card drops through the door advertising a cinema that shows “Movies Showing Nowhere”, Cate can’t resist. Finding her way to the old cinema, she meets Mrs Kano – an unusual woman who gives people the most incredible opportunity. Using a magical movie screen, she allows them to step into a memory. They might speak to a loved one, discover something about themselves or revisit a special event. Mrs Kano offers Cate the chance to work with her and help others step into the past.

Movies Showing Nowhere will challenge readers to think about the important moments in their lives and how these shape the person they have become. It is an incredible fusion of fantasy and reality overflowing with powerful emotions. Cate’s voice and self-awareness slices through the story, similar to Katya Balen’s October, October. Her father’s emotional absence forces her to makes sense of life on her own. The resulting anger, fear and sadness shows her just how much she needs an adult’s support. Gradually, the individuals she meets in other people’s memories challenge her to think about life differently and reach out to those she loves.

This book would be an excellent class read aloud or bedtime story for children age 9+. The complexity of the story would really benefit from on-going discussion as children piece together the layers of meaning. I’m sure a strong independent reader would devour it in a matter of days, wanting to return to Cate’s world as often as they could.

Movies Showing Nowhere is a cleverly crafted book I will continue to think about for a long time. As I read, I found myself trying to work out Cate’s destiny and was still left open-mouthed at the end. Knowing what I know now, I want to go back to the beginning to spot clues and make connections. It is truly outstanding.

Movies Showing Nowhere is a beautiful novel about memory and coming to terms with grief and loss for older primary and younger secondary readers.

Translated from Dutch by Laura Watkinson, Yorick Goldewijk's novel introduces us to Cate whose mother died at the same time she was born. Cate is now thirteen and lives with her emotionally absent father; Cate also resents the efforts of her busybody neighbour Cornelia to look after her. Cate is a child who enjoys 'looking sideways' at the world and notices things that others don't. One day, she sees a flyer from the mysterious Mrs Kano advertising 'Movies Showing Nowhere' at the old cinema in town. When she goes along to investigate, she discovers that Mrs Kano's cinema enables people to step into old memories from the past for a limited period off time by using old photographs and objects. By stepping into other people's memories, Cate develops greater empathy for others but also a greater understanding of her own feelings.

This is a brilliant premise for a middle-grade novel, and Goldewijk includes a number of clever twists that adds to its emotional impact. Thank you to Pushkin Press for continuing to bring us great translated fiction for younger readers, and for sending me an ARC to review via NetGalley.

This is a beautiful story dealing with complex yet universal issues of loss, love, and what memories mean to us.

Cate loses her mother at birth, and this leaves a vacuum in her life that nothing can fill. Least of all what little warmth she gets from her emotionally absent father, who lives in a world of his own.

Perhaps as a result of this, Cate has learned to observe the smallest details in life - things that other people often miss. This gives her something that is lacking from the lives of many others.

That sense of difference is heightened, even as it is validated, when she comes across a flyer advertising Movies Showing Nowhere, through which she meets Mrs Kano, who runs a movie theatre with a difference.

Cate finds some of the answers she is looking for in this one of a kind experience, where you can quite literally revisit memories. But she may also risk losing something very important to her in the process...

This is a moving and meaningful story that will allow younger readers to get to grips with some of the difficult emotions surrounding grief, whilst reinforcing the realisation of what love and family mean to most of us.

What a fascinating story! I worried at the start that a translation may loose something and while there are definitely parts I had to reread for clarity, the overall story was delightful.

We begin with Cate and her depressed dad. Her mom died giving birth to Cate and life has been weird. The neighbor cooks and cleans for them and Cate isn’t a fan. She stumbles upon the knowledge of a theater with Movies Showing Nowhere and the story unfolds with time travel and mystery.

Definitely worth checking out!

A beautifully written book tackling the difficult subjects of loss and grief. Sensitively written , we shed a few tears but gazed in wonder most of the time. A lovely book for sharing and starting difficult conversations.

This story was absolutely delightful! The concept of using a screen as a time machine was incredibly creative and engaging. I found myself completely captivated by the plot and the unique approach. I'm genuinely obsessed with how cleverly the entire story was crafted, and it left a lasting impression on me.

Cate deals with grief, and as a person who notices things others do not, she finds a cinema that makes memory travel/revisiting possible.
An astute concept with tender and adventurous moments, revelations and growth.
Great MG read and good novel overall for all readers.

If you could step into just one memory, which one would you choose?

This story is about time travel, a deceased mother and a defeated father.
I loved the character so much and the premise of this was so original and fun.

Movies Showing Nowhere will challenge readers to think about the important moments in their lives and how these shape the person they have become. It is an incredible fusion of fantasy and reality overflowing with powerful emotions. Her father’s emotional absence forces her to makes sense of life on her own. The resulting anger, fear and sadness shows her just how much she needs an adult’s support. Gradually, the individuals she meets in other people’s memories challenge her to think about life differently and reach out to those she loves.

This book lives in my mind rent free and I js want to reread it immediatly.

This is a slow-burner but that is just perfect for a story that deals more with emotions than with adventures. It is a story about time-travelling but the focus is not on the adventures but all those hidden feelings in people's hearts. It is a very touching story.

This was an amazing book about grief and family. The time travel element was really cool! Made me cry at the end. A book that makes me have emotions is a 5 star!! Loved this book.