Don't Call Us

Review also includes:

Liar, Pete Johnson, ill. Julia Page, 978-1842995532

Here are two additions, written by well-known authors, to Barrington Stoke’s ‘gr8reads’ series of fast, currently apt stories for older, confidence-lacking readers.

Pat Thomson’s story involves a gang of criminal thugs, led by the odious Hacker, who bully Jack, son of a locksmith, into helping them gain access to a lock-up full of play stations… or so they think. Morality is maintained when Hacker’s ring-tone plays at just the right crucial moment to save Jack’s skin.

Liar centres around two friends who spiral into tit for tat revenge against each other when one tells a lie that causes trouble for his mate. It does end in reconciliation by a smart twist of fate.

There’s plenty to empathise with here, since the situations are everyday and the characters easily identifiable. The writing well meets the brief, the presentation is grown-up and the clever use of buff paper will assist dyslexic readers, who can’t get on with glare.