Prisoners Under Glass

Rachel's adventures evading the wicked Lilah and her people-shrinking mother, engaged me and my eleven year old daughter, Tegan, for many pleasant nights of bedtime reading. We had a bit of a hard time believing in the scale of things (literally), in a climactic scene but that, itself, was cause for discussion, and the emotions all worked even if the physical proportions were dubious. This is a book you can laugh out loud with as you read, and shed a tear over as well for the sake of the heroine's sorrows. I stress the shared enjoyment factor because R. Patrick's book has plenty of punch and quick developments that are ideal for a chapter-a-night affair. I recommend it to all mothers and other adults looking for a good read to share with the reluctant (or voracious) reader in their lives, and for all those who are young at heart whatever the number of candles on their cake, next birthday. My daughter and I particularly enjoyed the astonishing transformations, the sparkling imagery and the humorous dialogue. Tegan's favourites were the colourful supporting cast of characters, who each had their own unique voice, quirks and personal growth challenge to overcome. We also have a new family saying, delivered in an over-the-top Italian accent: "The size of a chilli pepper!"