The Night Raid by Caroline Lawrence

The Night Raid by Caroline Lawrence
Buy The Night Raid by Caroline Lawrence at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: Dyslexia Friendly
Reviewer: Sue Magee
Summary: Virgil's tale of Aeneas presented in a form which makes it accessible to the reluctant reader or someone with dyslexia. It's a dark story and Lawrence does not shy away from the horror - but it's great stuff.
Buy? Yes	Borrow? Yes
Pages: 72	Date: May 2014
Publisher: Barrington Stoke
ISBN: 978-1781123669
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The Trojan War is over and the few survivors have to find somewhere else to live. Rye and Nisus - barely more than children at the end of the war and both with their own burden of guilt and horror - are obsessed by the need to seek vengeance and protect the land on which they have now settled.

Virgil wrote the story of Aeneas - the leader of the new settlement - just before the beginning of the Common Era and Caroline Lawrence has done a splendid job of making the story not just ‘’accessible’’ but ‘’enjoyable’’ to those with dyslexia and to reluctant readers. I knew the story, but I was completely drawn in and even hoping that the tale would turn out differently. It’s an excellent piece of writing, supported by nuggets of information, such as how to pronounce the names of people and places and maps to show locations - things which do help to make readers more at home with the story.

The paper on which the story is printed is thick so that there's no chance of whatever's on the reverse showing through, which can be a distraction. For the same reason the paper has a matt finish - shiny paper can make reading more difficult - and it has a creamy-yellow colouring which is easier on the eye. The font - one specifically designed by Barrington Stoke - is double spaced. Even people who are not dyslexic will find that all these factors make reading easier.

This book is written to have a reading age of eight but an interest age in the teens. There’s a very dark side to this story (Caroline Lawrence does not patronise her readers by toning down the slaughter) which requires the maturity of the teen although I wouldn't like to set an upper age limit. But are teens and adults going to want to be seen reading the book? Well, there's a 'dyslexia friendly' sticker on the cover which peels off easily and there is then nothing to distinguish this from a book published by a mass-market publisher. The cover is stunning and the author is well known - and knows her stuff. What's not to like? I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.

If you’re looking for something dyslexia friendly for the same age group then we can recommend Klaus Vogel and the Bad Lads by David Almond and Vladimir Stankovic. For another take on the ancient Greeks have a look at Home is the Hunter by Helen MacInnes.

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