Rock War: Boot Camp

Fuelled by a popular interest in fame and celebrity, Muchamore’s Rock War series draws inspiration from the often mawkish and ghoulish interest generated by contestant based programmes such as X Factor, The Voice and Britain’s Got Talent.

Boot Camp, the second book in the series sees Jay, lead guitarist for band Jet, battling for a place in Rock War after the band won ‘Rock the Lock’.  Erin his cousin, a guitarist and vocalist is also competing with her band. The competitive aspect provides pace and drama for the book and the twenty-four-seven filming that occurs in and around the mansion, where the competition takes places, provides a means for showing and satirising the impact that life under the lens has upon the developing psyche of the participants.  This, wrapped in Muchamore’s usual easy and fluent style of narration makes for a highly engaging, accessible and yet thought-provoking insight into a modern phenomenon and leaves readers hungry for the next instalment and the next stages of the music competition.