Reviews

Blackout is another great novel by the amazing Robert Swindells. This great WW2 novel is set in the small town of Golffod, where there are no troops or guns or bombs. Tom, Mary, Gary and Dil want excitement. But the Trident Gang, a group of thieves are out to steal the towns treasure- the Golffod Hoard. The children's effort to stop the gang lead them into the old mines of Golffod. This is a great wartime book with the occasional bit of humour to add a smile to this generally serious adventure. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes Carries War or Michael Morpurgo. A great read for any adventure/quest story fan.      

5 stars!!

By Kiran P Age 10

 

The story is set in World War ІІ, when there are still rationings and bombs being dropped.  Four children, Dylis, Tom, Mary and Gary, arte all friends and are told to look out for German spies that might want to steal the golden coins that survived the bombings.  They see a woman who cheers to the ‘Fϋhrer' along with a man wearing a cheque suit.  She makes an arrangement to go to the library after hours so that she can write a column for her journalism, but later, the children listen in on her conversation where she is talking to a weird man saying that she's got everything right where she wants it.  Before this, they see her again in the bar across the road.  That same day, they see the man in the check suit under a lamppost at night.  A policeman then tells the children that they have to go home for the blackout, so they do so.

The children have a habit of playing near and in the old mine where Dylis' dad works.  They steal the gold coins by snatching the keys from her dad and unlocking the safe the coins are kept in.  They take them to the old mine but there is a ‘rockfall' and they are trapped.

I think this book is so captivating because there is always something exciting happening.  The fact that it is in the first person, allows the writer to express the characters' feelings and their own views and opinions.  Over all, I would give this book a 9/10 because of Robert Swindells' excellent writing skills and captivating story line.  This is most certainly a book for any age (good when learning about WW2 in history)

by anon

 

Its September 1939 and Britain has just entered the Second World War. But in the small town of Golfodd there are no bombs, no soldiers and no machine guns.

For Tom, Gary and Dil the whole thing is a disappointment. They want excitement. But they aren't looking for trouble, so when they start shadowing the mysterious woman in town they don't expect it to lead them down to the bottom of the old, rotten mines of Golfodd.

Then things get dark and dangerous.....

I thought this book was very exciting and adventurous. I recommend it to anyone who loves mystery.

by Joseph.