Review of Will of The Hill

[Rebecca De Figueiredo]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Will of The Hill" by Marshall Cobb.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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Title: Will of the Hill
Author: Marshall Cobb

Teenagers: Emotional, confused, unsure but strangely attracted to the opposite sex, sometimes hygienically challenged, feature in this book. We meet a variety of these typical teens and focus on our protagonist, Will Reece. He is a likeable lad with a perchance for comic books. Because of this, he often finds himself in trouble. His friend Dillon has already got a girlfriend, but Will is going through the first throws of trying to understand this 'romance' phenomenon.

Gertrude (or intrude as she's more commonly known) is throwing her twelfth birthday party. The reader will come to realise that this young lady definitely knows her own mind!

There is an old-fashioned ambience to the book. In cities around the world, teens are being penalised for drugs and violence; whereas in this school, nestled on a hilltop, surrounded by government land and a sleepy town of only 4000 inhabitants, there's a nice, orderly and respectful feel.

The cover illustration has nice, clean lines and easily recognisable objects picked out in bright colours, creating a feeling of welcoming fun. I always enjoy a nice cover. There are no illustrations during the reading, which gives children a chance to visualise the story for themselves.

The book is of the right length, with a good beginning, middle and hilarious end. Most adolescents will relate to the emotions experienced by the teens. The prose is easy to read and the editing is very nearly perfect.

It is devoid of sex and profanity and would suit both boys and girls. The tone has a slightly 'tongue-in-cheek' feel to it but is not offensive in any way. None of them seem to have cell phones, and Will himself reads in his spare time, so it reminds me somewhat of times gone by. I disliked nothing and see no reason to award it anything less than five out of five stars.

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Will of The Hill
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