missevey's review against another edition
4.0
What is life like for refugees, forced to abandon their possessions and flee their country for their lives to continue? How about life in Calais camp? An evoking story to help you view the plight of so many in this day an age through the eyes of a child - a British child...
alishaduh's review against another edition
2.0
I had to read this book for the Hampshire book awards 2014 - I couldn't finish this book!
At first I thought the story was quite interesting, about what would happen if all the major banks crashed and how people would survive,but as the story progressed it went downhill, at first all the raids and what happened to Justin was a little bit freaky but then as soon as the got over to France it was rather boring. It got slow paced and nothing adventurous really happened till the end!
I have read some of Gillian cross' other books and have really liked them however this one didn't grab my expectations unfortunately.
At first I thought the story was quite interesting, about what would happen if all the major banks crashed and how people would survive,but as the story progressed it went downhill, at first all the raids and what happened to Justin was a little bit freaky but then as soon as the got over to France it was rather boring. It got slow paced and nothing adventurous really happened till the end!
I have read some of Gillian cross' other books and have really liked them however this one didn't grab my expectations unfortunately.
lottiedollar's review against another edition
Very good book, enjoyed very much and left me feeling motivated to carry on reading. Also made me appreciate everything I have.
pipsqueakchubby's review against another edition
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
books17's review against another edition
2.0
It was okay. Matt, his step-dad Justin and little brother Taco have to flee England to France due to an ambiguous apocalypse. Some banks crashed, and this somehow means that The Government can't afford to police the country anymore and everyone has no food? And so chaos.
I was really expecting it to be more about the two brothers trying to escape to France and all the trials and tribulations they'd go through during the endeavour, but they get to France pretty much no worries and the rest of the novel is just a survival drama in the refugee camp - something I usually am a fan of, but it was pretty dry and boring. The characters were fine - just very, very bland. And for a YA novel with quite a few dark themes running through it, it felt incredibly toothless at times, no real consequences going around other than light theft.
If it wasn't short enough to knock off in an afternoon I doubt I would have bothered finishing it.
I was really expecting it to be more about the two brothers trying to escape to France and all the trials and tribulations they'd go through during the endeavour, but they get to France pretty much no worries and the rest of the novel is just a survival drama in the refugee camp - something I usually am a fan of, but it was pretty dry and boring. The characters were fine - just very, very bland. And for a YA novel with quite a few dark themes running through it
Spoiler
Including the heavily implied rape of Matt's motherIf it wasn't short enough to knock off in an afternoon I doubt I would have bothered finishing it.
sheena_sherburn's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
piperbunny's review against another edition
5.0
A brilliant and potentially realistic book. What happens if the World suffers economic collapse, money is worthless, and vandals raid your house on a weekly basis for food. A better life lies across the channel, or does it?
You can't go wrong with Gillian Cross
You can't go wrong with Gillian Cross
Spoiler
I'm glad taco ended up better, I do want to know about the Mum though, will she ever make it to France? I like how Matt ended up loving the country and the addition of the Tour De France was very clever. I wonder if she'd make a sequel?bella900's review against another edition
2.0
Det här var första gången jag faktiskt uppskattade en bok som inte handlade om övernaturliga eller magiska saker. Jag har oftast svårt att hitta böcker som jag uppskattar i den här genren.
Trots att jag uppskattade boken ganska mycket och brydde mig om karaktärerna så kunde jag inte helt relatera till dem. Ingen karaktär kunde jag känna påminde om mig. Troligen för att alla karaktärer var mycket yngre än mig själv så kan nog flera yngre läsare uppskatta boken mer.
Men själva ploten att behöva fly, att det blir ont om mat i olika länder. Det kändes helt nytt, välgenomtänkt och läskigt att läsa. Tror flera som läser den här boken skulle tycka att det känns som om det kan ske idag. Då har författaren gjort ordentligt med efterforskning om hur en sådan jär katastrof kan ske!
Trots att jag uppskattade boken ganska mycket och brydde mig om karaktärerna så kunde jag inte helt relatera till dem. Ingen karaktär kunde jag känna påminde om mig. Troligen för att alla karaktärer var mycket yngre än mig själv så kan nog flera yngre läsare uppskatta boken mer.
Men själva ploten att behöva fly, att det blir ont om mat i olika länder. Det kändes helt nytt, välgenomtänkt och läskigt att läsa. Tror flera som läser den här boken skulle tycka att det känns som om det kan ske idag. Då har författaren gjort ordentligt med efterforskning om hur en sådan jär katastrof kan ske!
chloenm13_99's review against another edition
2.0
Very anti-climatic, felt no connection to the characters - definitely a child's book would probably recommend to an eleven year old boy. Just not my story wasn't too bothered about the ending, if anything, I would have liked to have known more about what was happening with the mum and what actually caused these things to happen because it just seemed that people couldn't afford food?! But just 1 star this time.