Author & Illustrators
Christopher Edge is one of my go-to authors for science fiction and this one doesn’t disappoint! With short chapters, it was an easy read and got straight to the action – perfect for children who need a bit of support with stamina when reading novels. It was cleverly written and I loved the puzzles that Drew had to face throughout his adventure. It kept me guessing throughout and I definitely didn’t expect the ending! A unique story with inspiration from Theseus and the Minotaur.
An extraordinary novel for anyone who’s ever been curious from award-winning author Christopher Edge.
When Albie’s mum dies, it’s natural he should wonder where she’s gone. His parents are both scientists and they usually have all the answers. Dad mutters something about Albie’s mum being alive and with them in a parallel universe.
So Albie finds a box, his mum’s computer and a rotting banana, and sends himself through time and space to find her…
This story makes you rethink the simple game from your childhood (even adulthood) of ‘Hide and Seek’- who knew it could be so frightening?
You are greeted immediately with the suspense in this book with the sharing of the category ratings for the Fear Files. The one you are about to read is deemed as a Level 4 Rated File-which is a ‘Beyond Fear’ category. This is enough to make you realise that you are in for a thrill. The layout of the book is a mixture of written case notes and short chapters. You will find phrases circled and notes made for evidence, making it feel like you are investigating this case yourself.
Who thought the phrase ‘Ready or not, here I come.’ would instil such terror in someone? This is a book that I did not dare to read at bedtime, yet I loved being terrified by the storyline. In particular, a statue is found with its hands covering its eyes, which reminded me of an episode of Doctor Who, in which statues move when you are not looking-a shiver certainly went down my spine! I cannot wait for the next instalment…
Eden has played many escape rooms before and is confident in her ability to solve them. She decodes and follows online clues from a user named Ami to find The Escape – an incredible new game set to change the world, but being kept secret by the tech company that built it. Finding that the location of the host technology park is very close to her home, she ventures out at dusk, encountering a murmuration of starlings that somehow transports her into The Escape.
Having almost immediately met Ted, an online player who claims to be testing the new game, both characters are plunged into danger. A series of challenges follows as the two attempt to solve puzzles and find the keys required to unlock The Escape. However, it later appears that there is far more at stake than either player could have ever foreseen, and whereas Ted should be able to remove his VR headset to stop playing, Eden fears that she is stuck there while her memories of her real life are fading fast.
The theme continues from the first Escape Room book, but you wouldn’t have to have read the first book to enjoy this one: the characters are new, and there is no continuation of the plot.
This is typical Christopher Edge with themes of teamwork, resilience and courage, and a strong, unpredictable ending. It reminded me of Jumanji and will appeal to readers who enjoy stories of gaming, adventure and other worlds. The catchphrase says it all: it’s only a game if you can stop playing.
Adventure in a sci-fi setting ensues with the usual edge-of-your-seat fast pace of a Christopher Edge story. If you liked Escape Room and Maisie Day or Jennifer Killick’s Dreadwood horror series, then you’ll love this.
Five friends find themselves sucked into the screen to become part of the 4D interactive film they were hoping to watch at the Black Hole Cinema club – so-named due to a spelling error.
The friends have to complete a mission to find their way out of the film, but to do that they have to work out what the mission is! Some of the descriptions are thrilling (if a little scary!): ‘… a jet black tidal wave, a tsunami of darkness surging towards us without a sound.‘ and ‘…as the curtains kiss the music stops and the lights go out…‘
The book is beautifully presented and laid out with some bold text, simple line illustrations for items such as the cinema tickets and feature-framed chapter title pages. The text is well-spaced and easy to read, broadening the appeal to a wider range of readers in upper KS2 and lower KS3.
This is a wonderfully compelling sci-fi story about a boy called Jamie whose father is an astronaut. While his father is completing important work aboard the International Space Station, Jamie is left figuring out life at home and one day he stumbles across clues to alien lifeforms for himself. This story is packed with real space science in a way that is accessible to children and set in the familiar world of the modern child.
Atmospheric, intelligent and thought-provoking, this is the kind of story that loves to surprise you every time you feel sure you have a handle on it. At less than 200 pages, it is a quick but intriguing read in a similar format to Edge’s other recent science-themed books like The Infinite Lives of Maisie Day and The Jamie Drake Equation.
The initial premise of the plot is a basic one: three children get lost in the woods and desperately try to help each other to find their way home before the legendary Old Crony, whom they say eats children, makes an appearance.
Tapping into the natural world around them and putting their code-cracking know-how to good use, the children find clues in the rhythm of birdsong and shapes of the sticks on the floor. As the story unfolds, so do a series of surprises and layers of philosophical depth as metaphysics are questioned and explored in a child-friendly manner. Suspense builds with every page, and the usual rules of time seem to become increasingly distorted as the story progresses.
The Longest Night of Charlie Noon is highly recommendable to readers who like their stories served with plenty of intrigue, puzzles to solve and a good dose of metaphysics thrown in.
This is a story like nothing I’ve ever read before, but I loved it from start to finish. If somebody had pitched to me a children’s book covering topics of entropy, relativity, black holes, the Möbius loop, Escher’s art and virtual worlds in gaming, I may have laughed at the idea. Unless of course the book’s author is Christopher Edge, who true to form has managed to accomplish it triumphantly as part of a wonderfully absorbing and emotional narrative that is as fantastically exciting as it is accessible.
The story’s main character, Maisie, is a 10-year old girl who is academically gifted and is studying for a degree in physics. When she wakes up on the day of her 10th birthday, Maisie is excitedly hoping to receive the components to build her own nuclear reactor as her birthday present, but what happens next is not at all what she expects. Nobody else seems to be at home and when Maisie opens the front door to find out where her family has gone, nothing at all exists out there except a terrifying, unfathomable blackness.
Finding herself trapped in an ever-shifting reality, Maisie has to rely on her understanding of the laws of the universe to comprehend what is happening and figure out a way to reach out to her family. As the plot unfolds, details about Maisie’s past are cleverly interweaved into an apparent alternative universe, as each layer of the mystery is unwrapped.
Christopher Edge’s storytelling is exceptional and the climax of the book is a brilliantly thrilling twist, making this one of the most gripping stories I have read for a long time and l highly recommend this short and thought-provoking read for upper KS2 and beyond.
Nominated for Favourite Books of 2018 by: Jo Cummins (@BookSuperhero2), English Manager/Year 3 Teacher and blogger at librarygirlandbookboy.wordpress.com
I’ve nominated this book because I love the seamless way that Christopher Edge blends complex scientific theory with a gripping story in a way that’s totally accessible to middle grade readers. This of all his books, is the one which got to me the most and had me asking the most questions. A true master of science fiction writing in a modern and relevant style. I can’t wait to see what he publishes next.
Christopher Edge has had a lot of success with his science fiction books such as The Longest Night of Charlie Noon and The Infinite Lives of Maisie Day and it is interesting to see a different style of novel from him. Twelve Minutes to Midnight is the perfect gothic thriller for those more mature children in Upper Key Stage 2 or at the start of Key Stage 3. Set in Victorian times, the book has the perfect dose of mystery, horror and adventure to hook those children who find some other Middle-Grade novels not grown-up enough.
The story follows the adventure of Penelope Tredwell, a 13-year-old writer who battles to determine what is happening to Bedlam madhouse’s patients as they continue to wake up at the same time each night and produce cryptic messages. The story is full of twists and turns that leave readers guessing what is going to come up next and the characters are continuously having to adapt. Penelope is feisty, courageous and determined – a perfect mix to engage a wide range of readers and ultimately a character that readers will like.
I personally think that children will gain more from the book if they have a good knowledge of key historical events – this will support them in making key links that make the book even more effective. There are also some great references to famous authors, particularly of novels that are now deemed to be classics. It would be a great opportunity for children to explore these authors more deeply and it would also give readers a better understanding of the Victorian era that this novel is set in.
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Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?
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yes
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