The Break

by Phillip Gwynne
Published by Penguin Random House UK
ISBN 9780143789383

When a book starts off with a bang, or in this case a crassssh, you just have to keep reading. In the first few pages of this story the reader will realise it's fun, it's quirky and they can't put it down.

Imagine someone knocking on your door and offering your child a place at an exclusive school for high achievers who love nothing more than experimenting, sometimes with disastrous results, without any fees. That's what happens to Athena Strange's mum. She can't believe this wonderful offer, but when they find out that it is a condition that Athena starts at the school tomorrow, they're taken aback. Athena is taken aback... will she take up the offer?

But, there's more, this isn't a bricks and mortar school down the road, across town or anywhere close by, it's on a ship!

It's fast paced, action packed, fun. filled adventure story with some quirky moments. This story will appeal to fans of Skulduggery Pleasant, Nevermoor or Frankenstein.

The author, who lives in Melbourne, clearly has an incredibly creative gift for adventure and quirky writing.