Review
An exciting new voice in Irish children’s fiction, says Verbal.
- Colm and the Lazarus Key
- Mercier
the Lazarus Key
You can choose your family, but not your friends, this is something Colm is made very aware of when his cousin Michael (aka ‘The Brute’) comes to visit
A hellish two week visit from The Brute becomes a nightmare of stranger proportions, when Colm and his family stop off at an old hotel for the night while driving The Brute home. When The Brute falls in love with the mysterious American Granddaughter of the hotel owner and forces Colm to help him win her over, neither boy foresees the chain of events that lie in store. When Colm’s parents disappear the cousins must overcome their mutual dislike to break the curse, save them and unravel the mystery of the terrifying Lazarus Key. This is a real page turner, with the scares pitched at exactly the right level for a pre-teen audience. With most children’s fiction seemingly aimed at young girls, it’s great to see a book like this, which is sure to draw in as many boys and help get them hooked on reading too. This is only Cork-born Crowley’s second book and if what he’s produced to date is an example of what he’s capable of, we can look forward to him joining the pantheon of excellent Irish children’s fiction writers that have sprung up in the past decade. Alongside Derek Landy, Darren Shan and Eoin Colfer. A rip-roaring adventure story for older children from the award-winning young author of The Hopless Frog.
Verbal