Age 11-14
A typical sentence in Higson’s compelling thriller, about a world in which everyone over 14 has caught a horrible disfiguring disease, gone mad and developed an appetite for eating children, goes thus: “She punched him so hard that his boils exploded and half his face fell away.” This story involves lots of pus, blood and nasty injuries, in a series of clashes between near-feral children and even more feral grown-ups. Set in London, from Archway Pool and the Holloway Road Waitrose to Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London, it follows a band of children trying to survive under repeated attack from slow-witted, drooling, cannibal adults. It is great at adrenaline-inducing conflict, and as yucky as could be wished for. Written in a pacey vernacular, with such phrases as “well dead” and “bare evil” (ie, “really evil”), it is just the thing for youngsters who enjoy Fungus the Bogeyman, the London Dungeon and World of Warcraft computer games and are getting a taste for horror films. Among all the gore and action there are memorable characters, including convincing and courageous girls. It also explores how society might be organised, the dangers of political ambition and values such as loyalty, and even suggests that bookish thoughtfulness makes better leaders of men than knee-jerk aggression.

The Enemy by Charlie Higson
Puffin £12.99

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