Mind Writer by Steve Cole

Mind Writer by Steve Cole
Buy Mind Writer by Steve Cole at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: Dyslexia Friendly
Reviewer: Tony Taylor
Summary: A fast paced and at times dark and scary story which is brilliantly produced by Barrington Stoke - perfect for dyslexic and reluctant readers.
Buy? Yes	Borrow? Yes
Pages: 69	Date: July 2016
Publisher: Barrington Stoke Ltd
External links: Author's website
ISBN: 978-1781125830
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Everyone knows what a mind reader can do and Luke Mellows has this amazing talent, or maybe it is a gift. He uses this to great effect and for his own entertainment. Knowing what the teacher is thinking can be incredibly useful and can be used for amusing classroom antics. Luke thought it was only him who had this gift, however when he meets Samira he soon realises that there is one skill that can be even more powerful than his – a mind writer. Being able to change what a person will think can be a powerful and dangerous skill. When the mind reader and mind writer come together Luke soon learns that there is a much darker and sinister situation occurring than he could ever have imagined.

Mind Writer is an extremely fast paced story which I found to be quite dark and scary as it developed. It is a whirlwind with each page adding value in moving the plot along. Even with less descriptive writing you feel excited to keep reading. It is like a fast ride in a theme park: you enjoyed it, you didn’t really notice the surroundings but you had one hell of a ride.

The wonderful Barrington Stoke published this book and it is aimed at dyslexic and reluctant readers. They do a brilliant job of producing books which break down barriers for dyslexic readers. The pages are very thick so text from the other side of the page cannot be seen. The page colour is a creamy/yellow – many dyslexic readers find coloured overlays help the text from not ‘’dancing around’’ on white paper; therefore the colour choice is excellent. Also, the font choice and page layout are very clear and carefully presented with plenty of space between letters and lines. As a Primary School teacher, I have witnessed children becoming turned-off reading with many books, but the layout here will support dyslexic readers greatly. The book length, at only 69 pages, is also perfect for reluctant readers – hence the reduction in depth of character and setting descriptions as I mentioned earlier, but the linear storytelling is excellent. Occasional black and white pictures further support the descriptions within the story and provide some of the extra depth which may be lacking. Mind Writer is also appropriate for 9+ children due to the slightly darker nature of parts of the story, but the reading age is 8. Most importantly, nobody would know that this is a dyslexia friendly book apart from a removable Super Readable sticker on the back. Full marks must go to Barrington Stoke for producing an excellent and super readable book.

For further reading I would suggest Wave by Paul Dowswell as this is another highly readable book brilliantly produced by Barrington Stoke.

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You can read more book reviews or buy Mind Writer by Steve Cole at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Mind Writer by Steve Cole at Amazon.com.

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