Defenders: Pitch Invasion

Seth is a young lad who has special sight-he can see into the past. He has a friend who is fascinated by history and helps him place what he sees into a context. This is the basis of the Defenders series of which Pitch Invasion is the third.  The series is part of the Conkers list for Barrington Stoke which offers a good story with high quality fiction to support older children who struggle with reading.

The book is a mystery story with added human interest about relationships and also contains a timely message about tolerance and humanity in general.

Seth’s Mum is waiting for the results of recent tests to find out whether she finally has the all clear from cancer. Instead of waiting at home she takes Seth to a village in Cornwall where she used to spend her childhood holidays. The relationship between her and Seth is written in a very touching way. Seth’s Mum knows he has this special sight as his Dad also had it before he passed away, so he is able to share what he sees with his Mum and also his friend. He sees a very gory sight on an old fort site-a severed head on a stake. He consults with his friend and she explains this would have been a defence against intruders in an iron aged fort.

He also befriends two Syrian refugee boys when in Cornwall and their story and the Iron Age village story are intertwined cleverly throughout the book. Seth needs to bring these two parts together in order to gain peace for everybody.

The story is indeed a good, pacy read with illustrations to help it along and support understanding. It’s perfect for an older reader who really needs a decent gripping story but might be overwhelmed by too chunky a text. I’d be happy to go backwards in time and read the other two now – Seth is a likeable character and I think readers will be able to empathise very well with him and others in the story.