Darkside
by Tom Becker
Published by Orchard Book/Scholastic, Inc.
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Reviewed by Julina K. Mills
Jonathan Starling cannot remember his mother, and his father barely speaks to him when they pass each other in the hall. Most of his father’s time is spent in the study, behind the only locked door in the house. Jonathan would give anything to get into that room and find out what keeps his father in such a secretive state of mind. That is, until the day his father is placed in an asylum and Jonathan finds himself trapped in the very room he wanted to enter. Barricading himself behind the door to escape the claws of his attacker, Jonathan calls his only friend, Mrs. Elwood, for help.
Finding an old photograph of his mother in the study prompts Jonathan to follow mysterious clues his father has scribbled on little scraps of paper, tucked away in ragged books. A rare text located in the British Library gives Jonathan the nudge he needs to confront his dad about his mother’s disappearance and a hidden part of London called Darkside.
As Jonathan visits his father in the hospital where he is recovering from “the darkening,” he begins to uncover secrets that will lead him into unraveling the mysteries of his past and ultimately force him to try and save his father’s life, and his own.
British author Tom Becker wanted to become an author as soon as he learned to write. At 25 years of age, he has created a wonderful teen novel in his first book, Darkside. From Carnegie, the werewolf detective, to Mrs. Elwood, the neighbor who is more of a mother to Jonathan than a friend, Becker’s characters are imaginative and well thought out.
Darkside is an easy to read, attention-grabbing work that will keep teen readers interested and looking forward to the next book in the series.
Author’s Web site: http://www.WelcometoDarkside.co.uk >