Aftershock!; Hurricane!

A thrill-a-page earthquake story, Aftershock! has step-siblings, Jodie and Matt, on holiday in California with respective dad and mum who are now 'an item'. Jodie is in a terrific strop and determined to ruin the trip because nobody understands her. The rented cottage is in an idyllic setting but while the adults are out picking up some shopping the quake hits followed by the aftershock. The kids continue their bickering with Jodie determined not to follow any of Matt's suggestions even whilst clinging by her fingertips to a table that is sliding out of the door of the cottage which by now is perched at an angle of 45 degrees over a giant crack in the ground. Needless to say she discovers that Matt has problems with the new parental relationship too and a bond is formed.

From the same series, Hurricane! is set in England and the sub-text is bullying at school as primary age brother and sister feel that Mum and Dad just don't have the time for them any more and are too concerned with working on the restaurant by the sea that they have bought to escape the rat race. The hurricane brings it all to a head and a neat resolution.

These titles are highly enjoyable but what a price to pay for 96 pages of big print - correction about 72 pages of print as there are 20 full page illustrations with another 8 or so half page pictures. With so much space given to the very effective line drawings, it is strange that the illustrator, David Kearney, is only credited in 6 point type on the biblio page. Paperback versions are due out this year.