Grinny: Grinny & You Remember Me Paperback – 4 July 2013

Remember reading this ar school. When the book was published the author came to our school and read some chapters from it as well as donating a book to the school. Apparently it was made into a film. I am not going to give a book review just read or listen to it.

I read these and other Nicholas Fisk books back when I was about 11. I'm delighted to see them reprinted and recognised as great children's fiction.GRINNY tells the story of Great Aunt Emma, who turns up unannounced and unexpected one day at the door of a 'normal' family. Or us she unexpected? One smile and the words "You remember me" seem to be enough for any adult to think they know her. But the children aren't taken in so easily, and the truth about Grinny and her plans prove that she is no innocent old lady...The idea of a nice old lady being something horrible in disguise could easily be played for laughs, or a Roald Dahl-esque twisted fantasy. But Fisk plays it deadly serious. Plus his young heroine isn't the most instantly likeable - even her older brother (the narrator) thinks she's just being a brat. But soon it becomes clear that she's the smartest of the lot - it's good to see well-drawn characters like this.The children return, a little older, in YOU REMEMBER ME, and so does Grinny - but in a new body. This time she's a right wing politician, proving very popular despite her extreme policies - all wrapped up in a smile. How can a few childen stop her?In this sequel the backdrop is much wider, taking in not one family but the whole of the UK. Why invade when you can get elected? When I read it I was living in the Thatcher era, but it was written before that. In many ways it's even more relevant today as extreme politicians have learned how to use charm and charisma to seem acceptable. It also features a great setpiece as our villain sends a crowd to attack our heroes. They don't even know they are doing it - as they move in to crush the children the people are still chatting innocently away.Fisk writes books where the characters feel believable and the danger feels real. Exciting stuff.

This takes me back to my childhood. The Grinny series was one of my childhood favourites, along with The Demon Headmaster, and I've loved sci-fi ever since.

I like Goosebumps and read Grinny expecting something similar, but it wasn't that good