Adam’s sister is missing. She is on a trip round the world with a friend. Arriving in Tokyo she has been working in a bar – but now there is no news of her, - and even worse, no trace. Furious and upset by what he sees inaction on the part of his parents and the police, Adam uses his father’s credit card to buy a ticket to Tokyo. He will find Charlie himself. Or will he?

This is an excellent teen novel very much aimed at KS4 readers. It is contemporary and lively – and very much rooted in the real world. As a result it will date. However, in Adam, his hero, Marks has created a recognisable young man – a refreshingly intelligent, normal teenager. He is not involved in drugs, alcohol or crime and has a nice girlfriend. But then he does what many a young person would love to do – he takes off for a city on the other side of the world without his parents. Marks effectively captures the exhilaration and the bewilderment that Adam feels when faced with a culture that is so different; a place where he cannot even decipher the written language; a place that he has only known through film – or newspaper reports of abductions.

This is no fantasy adventure (Adam does not solve the crime of the century or single-handedly bring the king of the criminal underworld to book) – rather it is a very believable real-life quest built on a very credible premise, in which a boy becomes an adult. Of course, this process involves a “princess” – and a well-handled, unexceptional sexual encounter.

 Written in a lively direct style with plenty of dialogue and little overblown description, this is a thoroughly enjoyable read that could be recommended to young adults – boys in particular – who are not keen on fantasy and have tended to look to non fiction for their reading satisfaction.

2007-12-28