Urban Outlaws

Living in a bunker, hidden away beneath the city of London, live five young people, aged between 10 and 15.  They all have special skills which they use in order to ‘rob’ the rich (usually criminals) and give the money to those in need.  However when they come up against the evil Benito del Sarto and his henchmen they need all their resolve not to be captured and killed.

Whilst this book owes a lot to the series of authors such as Horowitz and Muchamore, it seems much more personal and there is a sense of getting to know the characters, where they are from and what makes them do this.  Several of the characters had been in a children’s home and that seems to have damaged their belief in the care systems.  There is a touching thread in the book of how they give some money so that an old man’s garden can be cleared and on going back they discover that it has led to community support and a strengthening of ties between neighbours.

As an adult there has to be some suspension of our disbelief and we have to accept that the young people are capable of the things we are told about. The male and female characters are strong and this will broaden the appeal of the story itself.  This is fiction, but with just the right amount of credibility.  It should prove popular with a wide range of ages.