CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE WEEK:
The Wall by William Sutcliffe is published in hardback by Bloomsbury, priced £12.99 (ebook £8.51). Available now.
William Sutcliffe, usually an author of light-hearted coming-of-age tales aimed at adults, presents his first novel aimed at the young adult market.
Set in a fictional town reminiscent of Israel's West Bank, this political fable follows the story of 13-year-old Joshua as he tries to understand the world around him.
Joshua lives with his mother and stepfather in a newly built town close to a heavily guarded barrier - The Wall - which he has been told protects everyone from what lies on the outside - a world that is both brutal and unforgiving.
One day our protagonist finds a tunnel leading into this supposedly cruel world and, knowing he might not get another chance to explore, Joshua bravely enters the tunnel.
It is this short journey into another world that changes his life forever as he witnesses a reality very different from his own.
This is an engaging and thought-provoking novel, demonstrating that there are always two sides to every story and things are not always as they might seem.
8/10
(Review by Rachael Dunn)
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