Fergus Crane by Paul Stewart & Chris Riddell
Published by Doubleday, 2004
ISBN 0385607199

Reviewed by Shannon Children’s Book Club

Fergus Crane hears a strange noise outside his window; it’s a mysterious flying box which contains an important message for him ‘Fergus Crane, You are in Great Danger!!!’ Here begins Fergus’s wacky adventure to save his friends and find out what happened to his father. With the help of his long lost Uncle Theo and a mechanical flying horse he must follow that path of the Beatty Jeanne ship to the Emerald Sea.
This is a real page turner full of humour and quirky inventions. There are some brilliant secondary characters, including Wall Eyed Willy, Captain Claw and Dr. Fassbinder.

The book is really made by the illustrations by Chris Riddell, our group thought they really enhanced the plot which was patchy in places and gave you loads of extra detail about the world of Fergus Crane to get your imagination going.

The group’s favourite bit of the book is when the flying horse appears at Fergus’s window, but they thought the ending of the book was a bit rushed.

Overall a good read enjoyed by our book club, but greatly enhanced by the wonderful illustrations.
Rating: 8/10