Nov 11, 20206 min read

Cwm y Wrach - Meilyr Siôn

*Scroll down for English*

Llyfr antur ysbrydol i blant 9+

Ghostly adventure for children aged 9+

Genre: #ffuglen #antur #hudalledrith #ysbrydion / #fiction #adventure #magic #ghostly

Negeseuon positif/positive messages: ◉◉◉◎◎

Themau trist,anodd/upsetting, tough themes: ◉◎◎◎◎

Trais, ofn/violence, scary: ◉◎◎◎◎

Iaith gref/language: ◎◎◎◎◎

Rhyw/sex: ◎◎◎◎◎

Hiwmor/humour: ◉◉◎◎◎

Her darllen/reading difficulty:: ◉◉◉◎◎

Gwaith celf/illustrations: Philip Huckin

Wel, mae Calan Gaeaf wedi hen fynd, ond dydi hynny ddim yn rheswm i beidio darllen Cwm y Wrach, stori hudol newydd gan yr actor a’r awdur, Meilyr Siôn.

Dwi’n falch iawn o weld y llyfr yma’n ymddangos cyn y Nadolig achos ers nifer o flynyddoedd dwi ‘di bod yn teimlo fod ‘na brinder o lyfrau da ar gyfer plant hŷn yn y Gymraeg. Yn Saesneg, Middle Grade yw’r enw a roddir ar gyfer llyfrau i blant 8-12 oed.

Rŵan, don’t get me wrong, mae ‘na dipyn o addasiadau o gwmpas i’r grŵp oedran yma, a nifer o’r rheiny yn rai da iawn. Yn aml, mae’r rhain yn gwerthu achos fod y plant a’u rhieni yn gyfarwydd â’r brandiau cryf. Ac er bod ‘na ddigonedd o lyfrau gwreiddiol i blant bach yng Nghymru, dwi’n credu ein bod wedi anghofio braidd am y darllenwyr yng Nghyfnod Allweddol 2 ers tro, yn enwedig lle mae llyfrau gwreiddiol yn y cwestiwn. Mae’r ffaith fod Atebol yn sefydlu cyfres newydd ‘Chwedlau’r Ddraig’ ar gyfer y grŵp oedran HOLLBWYSIG yma yn rhywbeth i’w groesawu. Gobeithio y cewch chithau’ch plesio hefyd.

Mae’r clawr yn dda dydi? Syml, ond mae’r geiriau sgleiniog yn effeithiol. Dyma glawr sydd fymryn yn creepy ac sy’n rhoi’r argraff mai stori arswyd yw hon. Ac oes, mae ‘na elfennau o stori arswyd yma, ond mae ‘na fwy iddi ‘na hynny. Stori hud a lledrith yw hi ar y cyfan, gyda thipyn bach o antur.

O ran y darllen, mae’n fwy addas ar gyfer darllenwyr 9 oed ymlaen, ond o ran cynnwys mi fydd yn hen ddigon addas i blant 7 oed+. Efallai gewch chi dipyn o’r creeps ar adegau, ond wneith y llyfr ddim eich dychryn chi i’r fath raddau fod rhaid i chi gysgu gyda’r nightlight eto!

Mae Cwm y Wrach mewn perygl o gael ei chwalu gan gwmni barus B.Tec. Nhw sydd eisiau dinistrio’r goedwig a phopeth ynddo er mwyn ffracio. Dwi’m yn meddwl i mi glywed am ffracio’n cael ei drafod mewn llyfr Cymraeg o’r blaen, ac mae’r mater yma’n rhoi blas cyfoes i’r llyfr, sy’n amlygu mater amgylcheddol mewn ffordd sy’n ffitio gyda’r stori, heb droi mewn i bregeth am achub yr amgylchedd (’sa neb isio lecture nagoes?).

Daisy, merch ifanc gydag atal dweud yw’r prif gymeriad, ac yn ogystal â gorfod wynebu’r bygythiad o golli ei chartref, mae ‘na ddau hen fwli cas yn yr ysgol yn gwneud bywyd yn anodd iddi. Ar ôl iddi fenthyg llyfr digon anniddorol o’r ffair ysgol, caiff Daisy ei thaflu oddi ar ei beic ar ei ffordd adref. Dwn i ddim os mai’r cnoc ar ei phen oedd y bai, ond yn fuan wedyn, mae ‘na bethau go ryfedd yn digwydd iddi. Mae hi’n dechrau gweld pobl a phethau sydd ddim yno go iawn – cysgodion o oes a fu, a hi’n unig all eu gweld.

Mae gwaith celf Philip Huckin yn atmosfferig. We get the creepy, atmospheric vibes from Philip Huckin's illustrations.

Gyda’i ffrindiau newydd chwedlonol, tybed fydd Daisy’n gallu achub y Cwm a rhoi stop ar gynlluniau’r cwmni? Fydd hi’n cael talu’r pwyth yn ôl i’r bwlis? A pwy ydi’r ddynes ryfedd sy’n dreifio’r fan felen fel person gwyllt? Dyma jest un neu ddau or cwestiynau sy’n disgwyl cael eu hateb yn Cwm Y Wrach! (er, dwi’m yn gaddo y cewch chi ateb i bob un, chwaith).

Dwi’m yn siŵr os oeddwn i’n hoffi’r ffaith fod y plant yn gwneud hwyl am ben eu tad am ei fod o’n ddysgwr sy’n defnyddio geiriau Saesneg wrth siarad Cymraeg ac yn galw ei ffordd o siarad yn ‘Cymlish’ (t.25). Dwi’n deall mai dim ond herian teuluol ydi o, ond rhywsut, roedd tynnu sylw at y peth yn y ffordd yma yn hytrach na’i gyflwyno mewn goleuni mwy positif, gan ddathlu’r ffaith ei fod wedi dysgu Cymraeg, yn teimlo fel penderfyniad od i mi. Ella fy mod i bach yn touchy gan mai ymchwilio i’r buddion o gyfnewid cod rhwng dwy iaith ydw i ar hyn o bryd!

Gydag iaith syml ac 14 o benodau byrion, mae’r stori yn hawdd i’w darllen ac roedd y plot yn symud yn ei flaen ar gyflymder da. Mae ‘na ddigon o ddirgelwch i gadw’r sylw’r darllenydd ac mae ambell gwestiwn dal i’w hateb ar y diwedd, sy’n agor y drws am ddilyniant. Mae’n edrych i mi y bydd y nofel nesaf yn symud i leoliad gwahanol gyda chymeriadau newydd, sy’n siŵr o gadw pethau’n ddifyr. Mwy plîs.

Well, Halloween has been and gone once again, but that’s no reason not to read Cwm y Wrach, a magical new story by actor and writer, Meilyr Siôn.

I’m very pleased to see this book appearing before Christmas because for a number of years I ‘ve felt that there has been a shortage of good books for older children in Welsh. What I’m referring to, is what they call Middle Grade in English. (8-12 yrs)

Now, don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of adaptations for this age group, many of which are very good ones. These often sell well because children and parents are familiar with the strong brands. Although there are plenty of original books for younger children in Welsh, I think we’ve forgotten about Key Stage 2 readers for some time, particularly where original books are concerned. Atebol establishing a new 'Chwedlau’r Ddraig’ series is welcome news for this vital age group. I hope you’ll be as pleased as I am.

Don’t you think the cover’s great? It’s simple, but the glossy words are striking. This cover is slightly creepy and gives the impression that it is a horror story. And yes, there are elements of a horror story here, but there’s more to it than that. On the whole, it’s more of a magical mystery tale with some added adventure.

In terms of the reading, it’s more suitable for readers aged 9+, but in terms of content it will be suitable for 7+. You may get the creeps at times, but the book won’t scare you into needing the nightlight again!

Cwm y Wrach valley is in danger of being destroyed by a greedy company called B.Tec. They want to clear the area for fracking. I don’t think I've heard of fracking being discussed in a Welsh-language book before, and this issue gives the book a contemporary edge, highlighting an environmental issue in a way that fits in with the story, without resorting to preaching about the environment.

Daisy, our main character is a young girl with a stammer, and as well as facing the threat of losing her home, there are two bullies at school making her life difficult. After she borrows what appears to be a totally average and uninteresting book from the school fair, Daisy is thrown off her bike on her way home. Perhaps it was the bump to her head, but shortly afterwards strange things begin to appear. She starts to see people and things that aren’t really there – shadows from a lifetime ago and she is the only one who can see them.

With her mysterious new friends, will she be able to save the Valley and stop the company's plans? Will she get her own back on the bullies? And who is the strange lady who drives the yellow van like a madwoman? These are but a few of the questions to be answered in Cwm Y Wrach! (although, I can’t promise you’ll get an answer for all of them, mind.)

I'm not sure how keen I was with the idea of the children making fun of their father for using English words when he speaks, ‘cause he hasn’t quite grasped it yet. 'Cymlish' they call him (p.25). I get that it’s just a bit of family banter, but I just thought it was a bit of an odd choice to focus on this rather than just celebrating the fact that he has moved from London and has learned Welsh. Maybe I’m just a bit touchy because codeswitching, language blending and it’s benefits are what I’m currently researching for my PhD!

With simple and clear language, and 14 short chapters, this book was an easy read. (as opposed to really heavy novels with lots of difficult vocabulary) The plot moved along at a good speed as well. There’s enough mystery to keep the reader's attention and we are left with a couple of unanswered questions at the end, which opens the door for another book. It looks to me that the next novel will keep one character but will move to a new location with new characters, which will keep things fresh. More please.