Author & Illustrators
Avalanche by Simon Fox is an exciting children’s adventure novel that combines danger, teamwork, and the power of quick thinking. The story is set around a boy called Tom, who is hoping to spend the holidays with his mum in a luxury ski chalet. Unfortunately, his mum is working, protecting an eminent scientist from those wishing to steal his research at any cost. Tom starts the novel lonely and bored, dropped into ski school and ignored by those around him. This dramatically changes when villains come to call, endangering those at the chalet and triggering an enormous avalanche, cutting off the chalet from any help.
This is a great adventure book which would appeal to those who enjoy the Alex Rider or Bear Grylls mission survival series. The mixture of action and survival against the elements will hook in those children who like adventure or spy novels. It’s relatively short, fast-paced and quite an easy read, so would appeal to more reluctant readers.
Avalanche is an engaging and thrilling read that will appeal to children who enjoy adventure and survival stories. Simon Fox successfully balances excitement with meaningful lessons, making the book both exciting and educational. It is a great choice for readers looking for a short but memorable adventure!
Archie lives with his dad, who is a policeman. Once a week, they take part in ‘race night’ where they challenge each other to open increasingly difficult padlocks and locks, but one week, Archie’s dad isn’t home in time and he begins to worry. Archie receives a phone call from his dad telling him he needs to leave the house as it’s not safe. Archie’s dad gets arrested and Archie finds himself in Brighton. He must follow his dad’s clues to uncover what is really going on and get his dad out of prison.
I loved that ‘Deadlock’ was full of action from start to finish and did not let up! It was so fast-paced and a real page-turner – I couldn’t wait to find out what happened! It’s full of really clever twists and turns and certainly kept me guessing. This book will be a huge hit with fans of the ‘Alex Rider’ series and any sort of spy or detective story. An absolutely brilliant read for Year 6 and up, I will certainly be recommending this in my classroom!
Following the journey of Alex and his father across Europe as they attempt to escape a brutal government and seek refuge, Running Out of Time is a unique blend of science fiction and thriller, while also tackling some difficult real-life current events including refugee journeys across Europe.
The story is full of action and keeps the reader on the edge of their seat while showing just a fraction of the emotional toll those fleeing conflict face in their journey to safety. The author states in their afterword that the book is not an attempt to convey all the difficulties that refugees face, however, I believe that the book would be a great way to begin to open up conversations about this topic.
The narrative alternatives between different time perspectives, with each chapter having a title page identifying which time period it is set in.
A five-star read for Y6!
review
Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:
Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:
Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?
Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?
Would you recommend the book for use in primary schools?
yes
Curriculum links (if relevant)
Curriculum links (if relevant)
Any other comments
Any other comments