A Boy Like That; Lovesick; Roy Kane TV Detective; Thirteen Candles

'It's a comic, It's a book, It's a Graffix!' blazes the slogan on each of the fourteen titles so far in this series that includes titles by the likes of Bernard Ashley, Mick Gowar and Michael Hardcastle. Teen readers with a jaded palate get a visually appealing, quick fix satisfier of a cream puff novel - a tightly plotted short, rapid-read, modern tale of five to seven chapters told through comic-style illustrations on every page, where the narrative is boxed and the dialogue speech-bubble wrapped.

One can imagine a bevy of addicted reluctant readers devouring the set as their reading diet and feeling well satisfied with what they have achieved. Maybe it might spur them on to more demanding material.

The love story, A Boy Like That, relates the conflict between Beth and her parents when a new, bad boy turns up at school and dad, who is a teacher there, uses his insider knowledge to dissuade his daughter from mixing with the wrong sort. Fortunately for the unlucky pair our Rafe proves not so bad after all. Lovesick is another love story. Here the horror of Tessa's personality conflict with her English teacher turns to nightmare when the self same cruel lady is none other than dad's new girlfriend 'Snugglepuss'! Roy Kane TV Detective is on the case of a missing gemstone and the vengeful illusionist, the 'Shadowman'. Thirteen Candles is a kind of horror tale, where Julia is troubled by a shadowy presence which only she sees. Is it malicious or is it in fact protecting her? A family secret reveals its real identity.