Wising Up
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Cover Story
This issue’s cover illustration by Fangorn is taken from Brian Jacques’ Lord Brocktree (Hutchinson, 0 09 176877 2, £12.99), the thirteenth title in the internationally best-selling Redwall series. Salamandastron, the ancestral home of the Badger Lords, is under threat from Ungatt Trunn, an enemy whose power would seem to be absolute and whose evil knows no bounds. The only hope for survival is the badger Lord Brocktree who is drawn to the fortress by an undeniable sense of destiny. Brian Jacques' masterful storytelling as always spins a web of high adventure that will enthral the reader from the first page to the last. Thanks to Hutchinson Children’s Books for their help in producing this September cover.
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Wising Up
16 year-old Ritch has nothing in his life until he meets Alex. As ambitious and well-educated as he is streetwise, she convinces him to realise his potential and escape the sink estate on which he lives. However, his long-standing feud with the local gang leader, Ice, leads to an abduction attempt on Alex and Ritch's dreams dissolve when she refuses to see him again. Despite his determination to change her mind, the bleak narrative offers little hope of reconcilliation and Ritch seems locked into another lost cause. The stark realism of events and settings is somewhat diminished by the uncertain tone of the narrative: American street dialogue meets occasionally dated slang in an uneasy alliance.
