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Junior
Doubleday
Hardback £8.99
ISBN: 0385607199
Reviewed by Damian Harvey
[Armadillo 6.3 Autumn 2004]
Fergus Crane lives with his hardworking mother on the top floor of the Archduke Ferdinand Apartments. He goes to school on the school ship Betty-Jeanne, where he and his four school mates are taught by a motley crew of teachers. Fergus's father disappeared on a fateful sea voyage just before Fergus was born, leaving mother and son to fend for themselves.
One night a small mechanical winged box lands on Fergus's windowsill. Inside the box is a message from his long lost Uncle Theo, warning Fergus that he is in danger and that help is being sent. When help arrives in the form of a mechanical flying horse, Fergus is whisked away on an adventure where he will find out about his long lost Uncle, save his school friends and finally discover what happened to his father.
This book is an absolute delight for fans of Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell. Aimed at a slightly younger audience than the Edge Chronicles, the book's format has allowed Chris Riddell more scope and freedom for illustration. Riddell's artwork appears on almost every page from full page illustrations down to small vignettes of shop signs, fish on bicycles, and even a penguin cunningly disguised as a Canada goose (you'll have to read the book). For me, this is the perfect format for displaying the combined talents of Stewart and Riddell.