Chris Powling

The first-person protagonist of the book, known only as 'Brains', lives in a two-up, two-down in London in the 1980's. He hangs out with Mog and the gang, hates snooty spoiled posh Harold, and dreams of passing the scholarship to the private school, with their straw bonnets and huge library.

Meanwhile, a modern day Robin Hood, the Rectifier, steals from the rich to give the Inland Revenue what they are owed.

I loved this and couldn't put it down. The politics aren't subtle (hint, the bad guys are the tax dodgers, the rent collectors, and the people who show off their wealth), but the characters are warmly drawn, and the book is fast paced with some interesting twists.

The ending broke my heart though - what choices do we make when we think we've lost everything, and what do we sacrifice for the things we want most? Book Magic gives us a happy ending, but we are still left standing in tears with Brains, who has seen the darkness inside his soul.… (mer)