Age 7-11

Fine is best known for her contemporary domestic dramas. So it is unexpected to find her new novel set in Victorian times and concerned with a music-hall act. Yet beyond the particularities of time and place, this is a domestic drama. It is the story of a family with a father in Australia trying to earn enough for his wife and children to join him, and of an uncle, a ventriloquist, whose career and character have been damaged by drink. Ventriloquists’ dummies are always slightly sinister, giving one the sense that they might really have a life of their own. Frozen Billy, the dummy in this tale, does not, as we might expect, come to life. Instead, a young boy finds his life taken over by the ventriloquist’s act, which distorts his personality. This edgy novel recognises that the human psyche is more intriguing than supernatural gimmicks. Characteristically, Fine’s plot is not obvious but develops with surprising twists, although a neat construction ties it together. Unsettling and atmospheric, this story of a young brother and sister boldly making their own fates is told in the voice of the girl with lightness and simplicity, but covers dark and complex territory before reaching its happy ending .

(Doubleday £10.99)

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