Midwinter Lucie

Review (3)

• While on supply not long ago, I taught a lesson on how to write a suspense story to Year5/6 pupils. I wish I had this book with me as an aid becuase Midwinter Lucie has all the criteria needed to write a good suspense story. It uses good descriptive words and phrases to create the "suspenseful background" and follows it up with short, to the point sentences. All over, a very good suspenseful story that doesn't contain too much horror that will scare smaller children and once again proves that you don't need mindless violence and blood and gore to make a good horror story. I think that this book would be a very good read with pupils aged 7-11. It's not too long and written in a way that will not make children lose interest. I reccomend this book to all Key Stage 2 children.

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  12:18
  5 July, 2008

• This book caught me off guard. I was thoroughly enjoying the flowing prose of the first chapters (reminded me of Stephen Fry's earlier works) with wonderfully witty descriptions and richly detailed characters but then all hell broke loose from chapter twelve and I was swept along by the sheer plot line to such an extent that I read uncontrollably on from page 84 til the end. I have to admit that the theme of "they're coming" made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck on a couple of occasions (and I am 38 years old!). There is a particularly eerie section set around a camp fire where the central character Martin loses his composure temporarily (so nice to see an imperfect hero) and then experiences a ghostly apparition. Without any use of expletives or slang, this part (and the entire book really) is a superb demonstration of how to generate pace and atmosphere with elegantly pruned prose and it is on this level that the book is both an excellent thriller and educational for the younger reader. The overall fear level is rather similar to Harry Potter so some parental discretion for younger children is advised. There is no real gore or unpalatable horror but more of an understated brooding menace. I really enjoyed the historical element too %u2013 the knights of the crusades prove a rich source of possibilities. Overall, I thought it was an absolute gem of a book with the author%u2019s love of language clearly showcased. Very highly recommended for older children and adults alike.

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  18:18
  21 July, 2008

• This ghost thriller is a good story for older readers. It is subtly plotted and the pace is very well judged throughout: you are quite likely to find yourself reading it at a sitting, and then reading it again to savour how it was put together. The characters are real people - particularly the teenagers: it is hard to get children right, but Alan Porter succeeds convincingly. Also nicely judged is the question of whether all this is really happening or is the imagining of a (very scared) boy. And yes, my scalp crawled at moments - the horror is palpable: anyone who has been left alone in a dark church will recognise the feeling! The village, the church, the holiday camp are all truthfully described in few words. It is just possible that children's literature has found an important new talent: if Alan Porter can keep it up, I suspect he will be ranked in time with Mayne, Garner, Garfield to name but a few.

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  20:42
  24 July, 2008