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In our latest book review we asked the Reading Group at Abington Vale Primary School, Northampton to let us know what they thought of The Many Hands, by Dale Smith.

Here's what Harriet, Iain, Matty and Lewis had to say.

Warning! This review contains one or two plot spoilers.

What is the story about?

Harriet: The Doctor and Martha visit the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1759.
Matty: At the beginning of the book a highwayman is fighting the Doctor on a stage coach going out of control, with Martha charging down the street trying to warn people.
Harriet: Martha soon finds herself locked in a pitch black room full of disembodied hands, whilst the Doctor watches as the dead walk out of a loch towards him! Can the Doctor and Martha sort out this strange problem and escape?
Lewis: From the very first page of this book you get a sense that it is going to be a gritty story. A story from the past.

What were the characters like?

Matty: Mr. Monro has a clone brother called Jr. Monro who is also the evil version of Mr. Monro. Captain McAllister didn't like the Doctor at first and kept him as a prisoner - until he knew he just wanted to help.
Lewis: There are some very good characters in this story and some characters from history like Benjamin Franklin which help make this story believable.
Harriet: The characters were also well described even though some of them weren't very believable such as the disembodied hands and the walking dead, but I still enjoyed the book all the same. My favourite character was the Doctor because he was brave and he wasn't scared of anything.

What did you particularly enjoy/dislike about the book?

Iain: I think the author has set the book out brilliantly and really used his imagination in the settings, e.g. the walking dead sabotaging the boundaries of the church by the River Loch. There was some unrealistic but scary activity going on in the area, such as the minister that walked into his church twelve years after he died.
Harriet: My favourite bit was when Kith, the hands final formation, climbed up the castle wall to reach the TARDIS so that he could live. This was exciting because the author created a scary atmosphere by building up tension and describing every thing well. I also liked the fact that there was a paragraph or two about before the Doctor and Martha got there.
Matty: My favourite part was when Martha was locked in the cellar with the hands, because in the story they described the noise as scuttling and at that point I really didn't know what it was. The part I didn't really like was at the end when Martha tried to distract the hand and the Doctor just appears at the top of the castle - and we do not know how he got there.
Lewis: The first chapter is full of action and drama and almost wears you out. The scene is set and you just have to go with it. Powerful and quite violent you may wonder if this really is a Doctor Who story. I was a little worried about the safety of Martha and the Doctor, which compels you to read on.

What did you think of the story as a whole?

Harriet: "The Many Hands" was a fantastic book which I would recommend to any one who wants an exciting fantasy book to read and enjoy.
Lewis: There are lots of twists and turns and sometimes I found it a little hard keeping up with the story. It was a little heavy going for my age group but I really enjoyed the horror parts.
Iain: In my opinion this book is suitable for children that are six years and over because I would think that children that age would like to read a story based in a century that they did not know about yet. I think that Dr Who fans would like to read this book because if you have nothing to do and you are in a "Dr Who Mood", then there is nothing wrong with pulling out a Doctor Who book that you just know you are going to enjoy. Overall I think this is a book worth buying because it is something the whole family can enjoy.