As a mum of two, I am sadly familiar with the celebrity author children's book genre. We've ploughed through a fair few in my house and it's a very mixed bag out there.
Julian Clary's 'The Bolds' series is popular with my kids but I've found it an absolute drag to read to my seven-year-old, Dermot O'Leary's book was discarded after a few pages, but David Walliams is hugely popular, with all the books being read several times over by both my boys.
Nottingham's own Vicky McClure is the latest celeb to join these ranks with the publication of her debut novel 'Castle Rock Mystery Crew'. The Line of Duty actress has been doing the rounds to plug it, telling Lorraine last month that the book was based on her experiences of caravan holidays in Skegness as a child.
Vicky's also using the book to raise awareness of dementia, with the main character Jase's grandma Nanna Rose suffering from the early stages of the condition.
Of course I wanted to review the book because of Vicky's local roots, but there was no point me reading it (bearing in mind the Julian Clary experience) so I enlisted the help of my 11-year-old son Bram who is far more dedicated to the cause of ploughing through a book in a few days than I am. Normally a fan of history books, Minecraft and computer programming, it's been a while since I've seen a book like this in his hands. But he knows a good story when he reads one.
Castle Rock Mystery Crew is aimed at eight to 12 year olds, with pretty large text and plenty of pictures. From what my son told me, the characters are accessible if somewhat clichéd. But I've come to realise that there's nothing kids love more in a book than a good cliché.
Amazon describes the book as a 'laugh out loud, twisty mystery'; a modern day Secret Seven with the 'best mates chemistry' of movie Stand By Me. High praise indeed.
I let my son write the review in his own words - so over to him.
"I would give this book a 7-star rating out of ten. The storyline was filled with tension and excitement and the characters appealed to me because of their vivid personalities, such as Harri, who was a computer hacker.
"Yet, this book did not gain a full 10 stars as some of the scenes felt long and stretched out.
"The book opens with a scene where the main character, Jase, is at school and is not exactly thrilled at the prospect of the summer holidays beginning soon. It then continues to explain that Jase's grandma has dementia and he has to take care of her. Once he returns home, he is greeted by an aunt who explains that Jase, her, and grandma are going on a holiday to Castle Rock caravan park.
"Later on in the story, at the park, a pair of diamond earrings are found to be stolen! As the story advances, it is discovered that several other items are found to be missing as well. Jase and his new-found friends - The Castle Rock Gang - must discover who the thief is and bring them to justice.
"Overall, this book was enjoyable and had lots of little nods to local culture, such as mentions of Nottingham Forest. The only problem with this book was that, at some parts, there was some filler rather than action. I would recommend this book to 9 - 12 year olds that like mysteries."
Vicky McClure's Castle Rock Mystery Crew is available on Amazon, priced at £4.50 for the paperback and £4.28 for the Kindle edition. Or support your local library and get it for free.
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