Books For Keeps
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Articles
  • Past Issues
  • Latest Issue
  • Authors and Artists
  • Latest News
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
March 1, 2003/in Fiction 10-14 Middle/Secondary /by Angie Hill
BfK Rating:
BfK 139 March 2003
Reviewer: Robert Dunbar
ISBN: 978-0192719119
Price: £6.99
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Genre: Fiction
Age Range: 10-14 Middle/Secondary
Length: 160pp
Buy the Book

The Devil's Toenail

Author: Sally Prue

‘When you’ve given up your life to a fossilized mollusc it really does things to your personality.’ This is the slightly rueful conclusion arrived at by Stephen Geoffrey Saunders, Prue’s young teenage hero, towards the end of his adventures with his particular ‘fossilized mollusc’, the ‘devil’s toenail’ of the title. Here is an extremely powerful story which, in essence, is about power itself, its uses and abuses. The theme is given impressive treatment in a narrative which takes a refreshingly different view of the world of boyhood gangs, their apparent attractions, their potential to corrupt and, at least in cases such as this, their ultimate role as a transitional stage to growth and independence. Told in a sequence of 49 short chapters, as if in Stephen’s own edgy, staccato voice, Prue’s novel probes various corners of young male darkness in a manner which, while always highly convincing (and often very entertaining), is also occasionally disturbing and challenging – but only because we recognize its truth. Highly recommended.

Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on WhatsApp
  • Share on Pinterest
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share on Reddit
  • Share by Mail
http://booksforkeeps.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/bfklogo.png 0 0 Angie Hill http://booksforkeeps.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/bfklogo.png Angie Hill2003-03-01 17:52:422023-09-02 17:56:02The Devil’s Toenail

Search for a specific review

Author Search

Search







Generic filters




Filter by Member Types


Book Author

Download BfK Issue Bfk 272 May 2025
Skip to an Issue:

About Us

Launched in 1980, we’ve reviewed hundreds of new children’s books each year and published articles on every aspect of writing for children.

Read More

Follow Us

Latest News

Choice and reading relevant to their interests = reading for pleasure

June 11, 2025

Ross Montgomery wins the 2025 FCBG Children’s Book Award

June 7, 2025

Michael Rosen and Emily Gravett IBBY UK nominations for Hans Christian Andersen Awards 2026

June 4, 2025

Contact Us

Books for Keeps,
30 Winton Avenue,
London,
N11 2AT

Telephone: 0780 789 3369

ISSN: 0143-909X (this is our International Standard Serial Number).

© Copyright 2025 - Books For Keeps | Proudly Built by Lemongrass Media - Web Design Buckinghamshire
Through the Tempests Dark and Wild: A Story of Mary Shelley Read My Lips
Scroll to top