Neands

My first impression of this book was that the text was hard to read. I do wear reading glasses, but the light font on crisp white paper had me straining a bit to get comfortable with the text. Physically, it was also hard to hold. The cover and paper were hard and mostly require some regular bending of the spine and two hands to hold open comfortably. I found some typos too.

That aside, I did not give up and I read this cover to cover. The reference to COVID, in this year 2020, is relevant to the plot but I do wonder if this might cause some anxiety for younger readers. The imagery is well crafted and relateable. The story features three young teenagers and their characters develop well throughout the novel.

Leaving an opening for a sequel is a good ploy for book number two. I would enjoy another read from Dan Salmon.

Title: Neands

Author: Dan Salmon

Publisher: One Tree House

ISBN: 978-0-9951176-4-8

RRP: $24.00

Format: Paperback

Date of Publication: October 2020

Ages: 12-15 year olds

Do you have any advisory warnings for this book? Some language, one noticeable pornification

Reviewer: Karen Davies, Head of Primary and class teacher Y3-4’s, Rai Valley Area School, Marlborough

How are you recommending this book? Recommended

What’s the book’s opening sentence? It happened slowly at first.

You can buy this book here