The Penalty - Mal Peet

Dug out by... Dave

This is the second Paul Faustino novel, Faustino being a South American sports journalist. He's supposed to be resting, but he gets drawn into the mystery surrounding the disappearance of a teenage football star, El Brujito.

The story takes us into a world of slavery and the occult, showing how the past can influence the present.

It has been long-listed for Carnegie 08.

Postbag - may contain spoilers

Dave ~ Having read the book, my feeling is that it won't make the short list this time. Like Tamar it deals with the undeniable link between us and our history, but there are no significant young characters in the story - El Brujito appears at the beginning and end, but in between it's mostly an adult story.

Crusade - Elizabeth Laird

Dug out by... Dave


A historical novel with a thoroughly modern clash of civilisation going on. The viewpoint writing in this book is excellent with the two protagonists, Salim and Adam, showing themselves to be supremely likable whilst flawed by prejudice and misinformation.

There are great descriptions of people and places, thanks to excellent historical research. The camp at Marseilles and the city of Acre are vibrantly brought to life. This book has a timeless theme. It made the long list for the Doncaster Book Award 08 and has also been long-listed for Carnegie 08.

If you like it, try...

Oranges in No-Man's Land - Elizabeth Laird
Nathan Fox: Dangerous Times - L. Brittney

Postbag - Empty