review
This pacy adventure story charting the lakeside exploits of a group of resourceful children explores the hot topic of cyberbullying while sharing the enduring appeal of classic tales such as The Famous Five and Swallows and Amazons.
Robin is a nine-year-old boy who lives with his father by the lake, where they also run a holiday camp. The close-knit community includes Robin’s classmates Jannik Jansen – a spoilt, overweight, rich boy whose parents own a nearby swanky hotel – and the Witzbitzki twins. When Robin finds a mobile phone containing a disturbing video, he realises Jannik is being cruelly victimised by the Witzbitzki twins. Together with his best friend Nils, he decides to put matters to rights.
But Robin’s best-laid plans are repeatedly thwarted – not least by Jannik, whom he is trying to help. Robin soon realises that he has in fact stirred up a nest of ancient grievances and feuds between the Jansens and Witzbitzkis. In the end, of course, all is well and the families are reconciled as a result of Robin’s actions. Fasshauer’s cheeky and lovable protagonist, who strives to do the right thing against all the odds, is very relatable and poised for further adventures.
All recommendations from Spring 2019