'The Enemy' - reviewed by Ben (14)

"They’ll chase you. They’ll rip you open. They’ll feed on you...
When the sickness came, every parent, policeman, politician – every adult – fell ill. The lucky ones died. The others are crazed, confused and hungry. Only children under fourteen remain, and they’re fighting to survive. Now there are rumours of a safe place to hide. And so a gang of children begin their quest across London, where all through the city – down alleyways, in deserted houses, underground – the grown-ups lie in wait.
But can they make it there – alive?"

'The Enemy' by Charlie Higson' (Penguin Group, 2009) is a thrilling horror-adventure story. Filled with twists and turns impossible to predict. I really liked this book. It keep you on the edge of your seat with it's extremely graphic fight scenes and unexpected attacks. It grips you and doesn't let you go until the last word. But it also makes you think, What if this really happened? Could this actually happen? If it did - what would happen to me?

It made me laugh, sometimes it made me sad and sometimes it just really grossed me out. 'The Enemy' isn't just a zombie story, it's a story about how we have so much and how quickly it can all be lost.

I thought it was brilliant.

(Editor's note - Ben loved this book. I didn't have to remind him to finish it or anything...he took it to his room and read for hours. Happily. Which should be endorsement enough, I think.)

Safe As Houses

Safe As Houses (Random House)

Hazel recommended this slim, easy reading book by Eric Walters recently. Walters is a favourite of my boys' so it wasn't a tough sell. And Hazel told me she herself read the book in one sitting and was charmed.

Here is the problem though...the protagonist is a girl. A thirteen year old girl named Elizabeth. And the date is october 15th, 1954. Which means Elizabeth makes fleeting references to the dreaminess of Elvis and harbours a secret crush for a boy in her grade. Topics which make the boys universally frown and say things like 'Seriously Mom...we're reading this?'

I was worried, I'll be honest.

I myself loved the book. Gobbled up the simple language and perfect attention to period detail. I loved Elizabeth's mild ranting about having to babysit her little charges, Suzie and the rotten David after school every day. I remembered babysitting awful little children and wishing desperately I'd just said no to the money and gone home, especially on a soggy night like the one Elizabeth is having.

And that, right there, was this book's saving grace for my boys. Hurricane Hazel is sweeping through the story. She has trapped Suzie and David's parents in Toronto, leaving Elizabeth to care for them through the night. And Hurricane Hazel has trapped Elizabeth and her charges on Raymore Drive, a street that will virtually be wiped out by the storm....

The boys ended up loving this book. Full of action and a little bit of horror (WARNING: not for younger children. Some pretty frightening scenes), they were engrossed. Eric Walters does it again...even with a girl as his narrator. The boys managed to forgive him.

Goodnight Gorilla

Hazel recommended this board book by Peggy Rathman way back at Christmas, when I was desperate to buy a cool gift for my friend Laura's little one and discovered I am not, in fact, that cool. She told me at the time, "I don't know what it is about this book, but children just love it.' How right she was. Laura and her adorable two year old Sarah can attest to it...



"My daughter Sarah received this book last Christmas and it has been her favourite ever since. She loves the bright, detailed illustrations and the different zoo animals. I love that the simple text allows me to change the words in the story a little bit each time I read it. Goodnight Gorilla is a great book to read at bedtime; if you’re so tired that you can’t see straight it’s a quick story. When you have more time and energy, you can talk about what is happening on each page. My older children also love reading it to their little sister. We have read this book hundreds of times and we still enjoy every page!"