Last Bus

'Surfers' is a new hardback series for 11-13 year olds with 100 or so pages, strong plots and largish print. Swindells is a master of the format and this one does not disappoint. Chris, from a rather sheltered background, knows that Andy is something of a scallywag and a thief but decides to ride the buses with him on a Day Rover ticket anyway. The 662, the 664 and the 661 take them to nearby towns where Andy pulls off various scams and fiddles much to Chris's consternation. Then, stranded in the rain, they are picked up by the mysterious 666 with its load of strange passengers. As the bus goes steadily downhill, the sides of the road close in, fires begin to appear on the hillsides and the boys finally twig their impending fate ... (Route 666 remember.)