Bunker 10 by J.A. Henderson

This is just one of those books that you know you’re going to love.

It begins at the end. So you’re prepared. And as you read, getting close to each character, living their lives, the excitement building, you have at the back of your mind this hope, wish, need, that it won’t end as it begun.

Bunker 10 is a teen novel; its style has teen written all over it. And it’s smart, as smart as the genius kids that make up the cast. The plot twists and turns in surprising ways to keep you on your toes; when you think you know what’s up ahead, it veers off taking you down a completely different path.

Seven misfit kids are working for the army. They have a combined IQ greater than the number of Facebook users and gumption in equal measure. It’s Christmas Eve and all leave is cancelled so Jimmy Hicks decides to plan a date with Lesley, off the base. The plan involves all sorts of computer trickery and home made devices (and we’re not talking tin cans and string here) in order to get them outside the compound wall. Unfortunately, as their plan is unfolding all hell breaks loose on the base and it looks like they may never have the opportunity to date, ever again.

I was swept along by the sheer cleverness of this book. It captivated me with its intelligence, of characters, of plot and of style. It unfolded like a video game, as the characters completed each level in order to move on. The pace was relentless, the excitement, thrills and tension kept me turning page after page in a breathless chase to the finish.

If there was an underlying message hidden within these pages I would say it was most likely ‘never underestimate kids’. And I would wholeheartedly agree.

Crash by J.A. Henderson will be released in April 2008.

Oxford University Press 2007, paperback, 249 pp., ISBN: 0192754866