Title: Tins
Author: Alex Shearer
Source: A library... (I don't really know what to say here...)
Length: 252
Published: 2006
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books
Warnings: Severed body parts....? Is that really that bad....?
Summary: Fergal has a unique hobby. He collects the tins without labels from the bargain basket in the supermarket; it's his idea of a gamble as you can never tell what's inside. This seems like a harmless thing to do until he finds a finger inside a tin, and he gets caught up in something more sinister.
Review: To explain most of his actions and his appearance, Fergal is said to be "clever". Really now. Attempting to eat the finger is clever, is it? Never mind, I'll stop raving.
The first part of this book was mildly funny, I love how Fergal plays out scenarios and says things in his head: it's quirky and to be honest we all do that occasionally and makes him a loveable character. His childish perception of the world allows his to become overexcited by some things and work methodically the with others. His friend Charlotte is just like him, although slightly less freaked out by what she found in her tin, which probably encouraged Fergal be more rebellious, and right into a big mess near the end. I think that she came a bit too late into the book, but that's probably just my opinion.
The plot itself was either too predictable, or too unrealistic. I found that although the was a cliffhanger at the end of almost ever chapter, you could easily guess what happened in the next or something completely implausible happened. I also thought the way the pair dealt with the situation their was ridiculous and Charlotte acted really stupidly. And she's supposed to be clever too.
Rating: 2
