I rather like this series. It's easy to read and accessible to a wide range of readers - from mid to late primary right up to the reluctant readers halfway through secondary school. It's tense and immediate, appealing to fans of ''24'' and ''Fast Forward'' on TV. And its Australian setting makes a refreshing change from US high schools. Cal is a great reluctant hero, propelled into a nightmare life on the run by things he doesn't understand, but he's tenacious and courageous, even in the worst of moments.
We Bookbaggers usually take against cliffhangers in children's books, but we don't mind them here, where they are the whole point. Each short chapter of Cal's story is repriesed reprised at the beginning of the next one, and readers only have a month to wait to see what happens next.
Recommended for those who like to read - as long as it doesn't take too long!