Another powerful and enigmatic novel from Almond, whose Northumbrian Roman Catholic background pervades every syllable of his work, and whose mastery of the dialect, together with his perception of the thought processes of pubescent youth, lends earthy and spiritual elements in equal parts to all his work. Davie is an altar boy from a devout but practical Catholic family, and is encouraged by the local priest to befriend Stephen, an isolated newcomer with a considerable talent to model in clay, but with a mysterious past, a dead father, a mother with mental health problems, and an aunt whose grip on reality is filtered through her conversations with angels. Stephen initiates an uneasy relationship with Davie, increasingly separating him from his lifelong friend and confidant, Geordie. He develops power over Davie, real or imaginary, and influences him to steal communion wafer and wine which he asserts will bring life to his clay models. Davie, confused by the dilemma of the believed but intangible givens of life as a Catholic, and his incipient sexual maturity manifested in his relationship with Maria, is eminently susceptible to Stephen's hypnotic skills, and comes to believe that the lifesize clay figure Stephen has sculpted has taken life and is implicated in the death of the bully, Mouldy. 'Clay' appears to have a life of its own, and speaks in Davie's head, seeking to do his will, but because the gentle Davie was implicit in its creation, he is able to countermand Stephen's murderous intentions and ultimately return the creature to its inanimate and physically beautiful state. Stephen, like the life in Clay, disappears once more into the mystery from which he appeared, and Davie moves on in his own life, touched for ever by his experience, and with a new self-knowledge.

Fascinating, disturbing, permeated with Almond's deep appreciation of his area and religion and their influence on those who live within them, this is notable also as a particularly cerebral addition to the current vogue for golem-related children's literature. This is itself a long standing genre, from Frankenstein to Stroud's Bartimaeus trilogy, via Hughes' Iron Man, Pratchett and Pullman, amongst many others, and the intertextual associations create subtle and disturbing echoes of the evil and increasingly self-determined actions of these man-created beings. Much to think about and research for readers from upper Key Stage 2 onwards, in terms of literary allusion, use of language to describe places, atmosphere and feeling, of religious belief and custom, and the power of suggestion and coercion in relationships, personal and spiritual .