Zaki has always loved sailing with his parents and older brother Michael around the coast of South Devon. But this summer his Mother is working abroad and his brother is distant. Exploring on his own he almost drowns in a mysterious cave and is saved by a girl who warns him to tell no one about the cave. Back onshore, things begin to get very strange and Zaki discovers that the past is closer than he thinks and mysterious shape shifting demons are not just legends.

 Devil's Rock is a good summer read for able readers in Years Five and Six. Those who enjoy old fashioned adventure with a modern coming of age story will be swept away. The setting is particularly good, and the scene where Zaki finds his self transported into the body of a gull is very well done. Zaki not only has to deal with the supernatural, but the very real break up of his family, anchoring the story firmly in the present while still leading the reader back into stories of Devon's smuggling past and Sri Lankan demons.

2009-06-20