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Junior
David Fickling Books
Hardback £10.99 ISBN 0385604742
Reviewed by Elizabeth Lindsay
[Armadillo 5.4 Winter 2003]
The story revolves around twelve year old Midge who comes to stay on her Uncle Brians farm. She finds an injured winged horse, returning it to the impenetrable wood where The Various, ølittle people", live. She also discovers that The Various are in danger. A brief introduction relates the moment in Chapter 11 when the heroine meets øThe Various" which is followed by three languid chapters of scene setting. A sharper opening would have been more satisfactory. Some of the plot is contrived; for example, Uncle Brians expectation of being granted planning permission to demolish the ancient wood and Midge not knowing where she was born. Such quibbles aside, the story is gripping once it gets going. The Various hunters are a savage lot. There is internecine strife creating some tense moments and an open end. There is more of The Various to come.