The Black Room

by Gillian Cross

Junior

Oxford University Press

Hardback

£9.99

ISBN: 0192719742

Reviewed by Stella Barnes

[Armadillo 7.2 Summer 2005]

In 'The Black Room two sets of characters face crises. Lorn and her companions, miniscule people living in an underground cave, fear predators, starvation, and death from winter cold. Lorn also fears memories on the brink of return.

The normal-sized human characters ¨ Robert, his sister, Emma, and school friend, Tom - clash when Tom refuses to believe that Lorn really exists. An intricately plaited handle that Tom sees on a fat boys bag leads to convincing explanations and also to a dangerous rescue mission in which Toms Jack Russell helps.

The story is plot-driven but the characters are convincingly individual and grow. The pace never slackens and the story skids to a dramatic climax. Much is left unexplained, but ¨ joy! ¨ this is book two of a trilogy.

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