Fire Raiser!; Ghost Riders
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Cover Story
This issue’s cover is from Nicola Bayley’s latest title, The Necessary Cat (© Nicola Bayley 1998). Nicola Bayley is interviewed by Joanna Carey. Thanks to Walker Books for their help in producing this September cover.
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Send to friendFire Raiser!
Illustrated by Jane Cope
Ghost Riders
Illustrated by Barry Wilkinson
The 'Chillers' series continues to grow providing short, fast-moving stories with plenty of comic-book illustration for 9-12-year-olds. Fire Raiser! has a great cover but the conflagration we see is sadly missing from the text in which Jarvis gets entangled with the ne'er-do-well mother and son who keep the local corner shop. The plot is rather convoluted as the old lady tries to frame Jarvis for a fire she plans as an insurance scam.
Ghost Riders has more realistic illustrations as well as some unnecessarily complex page design. As Mum's car shudders to a halt one cold, winter's night on Highwayman's Hill, young Stephen's over-active imagination brings the ghost of the local highwayman and his accomplice to life.
Both books are competent but lacking originality; they feel strangely predictable.
