Review Detail

It's rare to find a novel that never uses a quote mark and even rarer to find one that pulls it off. That's not the most important thing about this book, or even the most interesting, but it is a quirky tidbit that I found intriguing.

The novel starts off in a fairly typical fashion a fifteen-year-old girl who isn't getting along with her stepmother is sent off to England to live with her aunt. Daisy's got issues (an eating disorder, a bit of an attitude), but she's ultimately a likable character and the reader has just settled in to getting to know her when things take a turn in an entirely different direction.

The novel is set in the near future, but one in which the next World War is a frighteningly real possibility and terrorist acts have become a way of life. While Daisy's aunt is away, war breaks out and Daisy and her four cousins find themselves alone. At first, everything is like an adventure, but soon things are getting desperate.

I really hate to give too much away on this one, because there are a lot of things going on with the relationships between the cousins (some very surprising). So, I'll just say that Daisy finds strength she didn't know she had and readers are richer for it. Meg Rosoff's novel stretches some boundaries and is one that will stay with you for long after you've read it.

Some will find the style difficult; others will find it inventive. Some will find the lack of description of the enemy frustrating; others will concentrate on the relationships as the focal point. No matter what, it will make you think.

I recommend this book for readers aged 14 and up.