Opening with a vlog! Fantastic idea and grabs the reader straight away. The two children we meet are Lottie and Mo. They have been thrown together when Mo’s Mum and Lottie’s Dad move in together. Moving to a new house is traumatic for Mo, even though the house is only across the road from where he has lived with his Mum since his Dad had disappeared before he was born. Mo seems to have a few quirks in his nature, like he cannot bring himself to leave behind anything that seems to have been left behind or lost, he must pick it up and keep it safe in the hope it will be returned to its owner. And he likes to do things correctly, unlike Lottie who is a much more cavalier character altogether and it seem that dreaming up new flamboyant hairstyles is her most important mission! Lottie and her little sister – who seems to speak ‘cat’! – come as a package and Mo is non too sure how he feels about sharing this new house with them, and most importantly, where will he put all his things?!
Loved the start of this book, straight into the action, draws you into the story straight away. What could have happened that made these ten-year olds feel they had to make this recording with such an urgent message, ‘so, anyway, courageous viewer; please hear our story and take action. You might be our only chance of survival. And hurry – maybe there’s still time. Maybe you can still save us.’
What will you make of the overly nice Loralai, who has moved in to Mo’s old house? Who never opens the curtains and has the strangest accessories in her wardrobe? Mr Gideon is the ice cream van driver, but is there more to him and his irresistible dairy products than meets the eye? Why does the crossings patrol man seem to be behaving so weirdly (‘You shall not pass!! Hilarious!)
Mo, Lottie and not forgetting Sadie (Lottie’s little sister) and Schrodinger (the cat- clever name!), have discovered things about the future that puts people of the present in danger…more precisely it puts the two of them in danger! Can they figure out who is friend and who is foe? Can they figure out what the clues all mean? They’re on a bit of a tight schedule!
I really liked this funny book. The relationship between the characters has some rather lovely moments, comedic and touching. It touches, ever so slightly on missing parents and this is done so well that it doesn’t feel too heavy. It’s a fast paced, cleverly written book for readers around 8 – 11 year olds. Perhaps if they liked My Brother is a Superhero or Iguana Boy, they might enjoy this one.
Thank you Les from Tells Tales Bookshop for your review!
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