Dragon Shield

Will, guilty and a bit resentful, is waiting in the hospital for his younger sister, Jo. Suddenly, the world seems to lurch – reality freezes and everyone in it. But not Jo and Will. Rather they find themselves in a London where the statues have come to life – and they are being pursued by a dragon. They must somehow find a way to restore reality before their parents and the rest of London are frozen forever – but how?

In this new novel, Charlie Fletcher returns to the London of Stoneheart, a London where statues are either Spits or Taints and come alive. Like Stoneheart it is very exciting. However, it is aimed at a slightly younger readership; KS2 rather than KS3. The result is a shorter, tauter offering that moves along at a great pace; the action really is non-stop.  We meet a whole new cast of statues, with one or two old friends – Little Tragedy in particular. As with Fletcher’s previous novels, readers will leave keen to walk the London streets identifying the characters and the places. The human protagonists, Charlie and Jo,  are believable and recognisable in their sibling relationship; the writing  brisk, the ending a cliff hanger.  I cannot wait for the next instalment – and young readers will feel the same.