Hilke Rosenboom Der Sommer der dunklen Schatten (Summer of Dark Shadows) Carlsen Verlag, July 2004. 272 pp. ISBN 3-551-55299-1 Robert Hopp is a geeky twelve-year-old who swims as feebly as a message in a bottle, waddles like a duck when attempting to run, and is a complete wash-out at football. He spends most of his free time on the computer and is not at all surprised that the other boys at school don’t take to him; if he were to meet himself, he wouldn’t like him either. This summer his parents, who quarrel incessantly, decide to buy a castle as a means of reducing their tax. The trip to the castle marks the beginning of Robert’s nightmare. The building is set deep inside a forest filled with sinister shadows and threatening figures. Within it is a labyrinth of corridors, spiders’ webs and unlived-in rooms. Its only other human inhabitants are Mrs Ironstone, a wrinkled old crone, and Joe, her alleged great-granddaughter, an aggressive thirteen-year-old who wears a long black coat even on the hottest days, and in addition loves bats. Soon Robert’s father has fled to Paris to see his girlfriend and his mother has gone off on a trip which turns out to include Shanghai, Kuala Lumpur, Phnom Penh, Taipeh and Sydney. Robert and Joe are left alone. Initially scared of the bats and the darkness, Robert comes to realize that these are his true friends. The real danger comes in the form of Gustav, a scientist who lives in a hut in the forest and is desperately searching for a rare plant. Robert realizes that Gustav is up to no good, and so sets out on a desperate mission to save the plant, the bats and the whole insect world. Suspense is gradually and carefully built up, Robert’s fear is made almost tangible, but the tension is relieved by spurts of welcome humour. Summer of Dark Shadows is a frightening and funny novel, combining many of the classic features associated with successful children’s books with an unusual and lively portrayal of the natural world. For children aged eleven to thirteen.