Kate Thompson. Fourth World
Bloomsbury  $16.95  ISBN 1-58234-650-X  330 pg.
Reviewed by Emma, Age 13

‘Everybody in our town had their own ideas about my stepbrother, Danny. Some of them called him disabled; some said he was autistic, and some just referred to him as 'that poor boy'. The truth was that there were only two people who knew what Danny really was. One was his father, who didn't believe it. The other was his mother, who did.

Fourth World is the story of Christie, a thirteen-year-old boy, his stepbrother Danny, a homeless girl named Tina, and the strange inhabitants of Fourth World. When Danny runs away to find his mother, Christie must follow to keep his older brother safe. They are soon joined by Tina, her dog, and Danny's friend Darling, and begin the difficult journey across Britain, to Danny's mother's home in the North of Scotland. What they could never imagine though, are the challenges they will face on the journey, or the world they will find when they finally arrive...

Fourth World is the first book in the Missing Link Trilogy by Kate Thompson. The British author has been honoured with the Bisto Book Award twice now by Children's Books Ireland. She writes fiction for children and young adults from her home in Yorkshire, England. Fourth World is a 330 page hardcover sci-fi novel. I recommend it for kids ages 10-14. Read it when it's raining out.

Fourth World is very well written. The author shows her talent through detailed, thought-provoking descriptions, perfectly orchestrated settings, delicate foreshadowing, and the several incredibly complex characters she has created to star in the novel. The main character, Christie, is so stunningly complicated and unpredictable, but wows you with his ability to control himself and think each situation through fully. This book is brilliantly put together, with each section aligning and leading you along through the ingenious world of suffering Britain.

Kate Thompson's Fourth World earns its fourth star no problem!