Deadly Deep is the absolutely brilliant next instalment in Jennifer Killick's Dread Wood series. This is upper middle grade comedy horror at its best. Both my son, Tom, and I devoured this book within about 12 hours, unable to put it down until we got to the gory finish!
Jennifer Killick captures Year 8 children perfectly. Tom's first comment was, "Mum, they're just going on their France trip!" He and his twin sister travelled to France in June so the memory of their time on the ferry was fresh in his mind. Club Loser are on a geography and history trip to study the southern French coastline. On their way, they've been invited travel on the ship Melusine to witness the launch of some new wildlife research technology by Colette's mum's tech company, Cyberus - R.O.V.'s (remotely operated vehicles) that cruise the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea allowing researchers to view sea creatures on the console up on deck. The gang is feeling pretty confident that they're safe with their evil enemies the Latchitts locked up in England but you never can tell with that creepy couple!
Each member of Club Loser has their time to shine in this action-packed adventure. Gus is a star with classic one-liners that made us laugh out loud at least once every few pages. Titanic movie references a plenty, this is a book both children and adults will enjoy. Angelo narrates with his usual empathetic and take-charge attitude. Naira uses her brains (and everything else she's good at) to come up with solutions to the bizarre situations they find themselves in. Hallie is as tough as ever, standing up for her friends. Colette is once again pulled between her friends and her horrifying family. There are plenty of dangerous jobs to go around as they all do their bit to try to defeat the enemy (even when they aren't sure who it is!)
Angelo loves animals and is fascinated by the R.O.V. He learns as much as he can from the operator - which defintiely comes in handy later. When there's a crash and the boat starts to sink, everyone else on the trip manages to board the lifeboats and escape but the Club Loser gang are trapped. Faced with dangerous villains, giant sharks, toothy eels, genetically mutated octopuses and, as ever, the creepiest nursery rhymes you've ever heard, it's a race to see who can survive until the end.
Amidst all of this stress, Club Loser stick together and shows everyone what true friendship really looks like - bad jokes, ugly crying and all. Add in the GOAT of teachers, Mr Canton, with his firm belief that hot choccie can solve any problem and his ability to always give the gang a second, third or fourth chance and you have a cast of characters anyone would want to hang out with.
Tom summed it up perfectly when he finished reading it with the comments, "Every page is so gripping, I just can't put it down." and "Mum, you have to abandon your other book and read this now!"
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