The Nightmare of Black Island

Review: Night terrors plague a remote community.

We asked the kids of Coed Glas Primary School in Cardiff to give us their thoughts on Mike Tucker's first Tenth Doctor novel. Here's what Anna, Morgan, Dylan, Rachael and Jâc had to say:

What is the book about?

The Doctor and Rose arrive at a lonely Welsh coastal village to find blood in the rock pools, horrifying monsters stalking the woods and children plagued by terrifying monsters. Dark secrets begin to unfold.

What were the characters like?

Anna: The characters are very well portrayed. The Doctor is really laid back and relaxed in all the situations and Rose is always looking out for the children.
Morgan: Brilliant! The author really made them sound like the actors in the series.
Dylan: The Doctor was really funny and when the centipede was looming over Rose she tried not to be scared and tried to be tough.
Rachael: The Doctor is hilarious and you can really imagine David Tennant doing his part in the book. You can almost hear his voice in your head as you read. Ali and Bronwyn were great characters and the author described them well.

What were your favourite bits?

Morgan: I liked it when the Doctor was in the TARDIS and a button was flashing and he said, "You're not meant to flash. If I'd wanted you to flash I'd have put you somewhere more flashy."
Anna: My favourite part was when Bronwyn put herbal shampoo into the boat engine because she thought it'd be more environmentally friendly!
Jâc: I liked the prologue where it tells you about the fisherman and the monster. It's really scary and dramatic!
Dylan: One of my favourite bits was when Rose and the Doctor found pools of blood and were chased by monsters. It was terrifying!
Khalid: It was exciting when Rose and the Doctor were running through the forest with all the monsters chasing and a giant centipede crawls over Rose's head.

What were your least favourite bits?

Rachael: At the beginning when the man got his thumb in the fishing hook - the author described it so well that I felt a little giddy!
Khalid: I didn't have a least favourite bit. I loved the whole book!
Jâc: There weren't any because all of it was really exciting!

What did you think of the book as a whole?

Anna: I think the book is really dramatic and gripping and I will definitely recommend it to my friends.
Rachael: The book was great and the description fantastic! It was really scary at some points but there were also really funny points.
Morgan: Fantastic! I didn't want to put it down!
Jâc: It was really exciting and I like the way all the events merged together like Rose and the Tardis both dreaming about the fisherman's gruesome end.
Khalid: Altogether I loved it!

Marks out of 10?

The group gave it a resounding 10! Rachael said, "I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a thrilling read!"

Thanks to all the kids and their teacher Bruce McInnes for the review.