Reviews

 

The Devil Walks is an outstanding book and I highly recommend it. I rate it 10 out of 10, but it is not for the faint -hearted because of how realistically terrifying it is. It is set at the beginning of the 20^th century and is takes place in a small English town outside London. The story moves between three houses; two of which are owned by the same family (but not for long).

The story starts with a young boy called Daniel lying in his bed talking about his younger years. When he is finished, he hears two men try and persuade his mother to come outside. Through the back door, a strange man comes in and tells Daniel to come with him away from his mother (and danger). He goes with the man and ends up living with him, but strange things await him including a mysterious uncle, an evil doll, a strange maze and a house that has been perfectly replicated into a doll's house...

I thoroughly enjoyed reading it because it had lots of unexpected twists and almost had me believing I was also under threat.  It is a great book.

by Matthew

 

This fantastic piece of historical fiction- written by Anne Fine, is about a boy named Daniel, who is imprisoned inside his house. In bed all day with his mother by his side, making a living by sewing, Daniel has nothing better to do than read a book he has already read before. Until one day when there was a knock at the door which changed everything. His mother was taken to hospital, and Daniel was taken in by a very loving and caring family. The family could not keep Daniel forever, so they sent him off to Daniel's uncle, who Daniel never knew.

But there was something strange about his uncle...

This was a moving book: sad in parts but scary in others. I thought it was especially scary when Daniel walked down the "Devil Walks" to find his uncle... (but you'll have to read it to find out!)

The fantastic novel is a must read- if you like scary books- and I rate it a 11/10!

By Hannah

 

The Devil Walks is a sinister, gripping novel by Anne Fine. It is about a boy called Daniel Cunningham, who spent all of his life in bed, thinking he was ill, due to the fact that was what his mother led him to believe all these years. Then one day Dr Marlow knocks on his door and his life completely changes. He finally finds out that there was nothing wrong with him, and in fact that his mother had been lying to him.

While Dr Marlow was looking after Daniel, his mother was at an asylum, and due to the deprivation of her son, she eventually committed suicide. After his mother died, the only thing that belonged to him was the doll's house he grew up with. After playing with the house and the characters in it, he realises that the doll's house was a miniature copy of the house that his mother grew up in. After they found the address of the house itself, Daniel finds out that he has an uncle called Severn. However, Severn was a serial killer and psychopath, and Daniel had been sent to live with him...

The special place that I particularly liked is the house that Mrs Cunningham grew up in. This house was the prime location in this book, and it is due to this that they find Captain Severn.  The history is quite believable as it not overly exaggerated, and it sounds very realistic. This book definitely makes me want to read other books by the author. I would not mind if they were the same genre, however, her writing style is unique and interesting. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a gripping, scary novel, as this book is definitely a page turner!

by Thanusha