The follow up to The Climbers with Barrington Stoke for Keith Gray. I really enjoyed The Climbers so was grateful to Poppy at Barrington stoke for this early copy. Marshall and Rory have been friends since primary school. They were friends with Trev and Sam too but Marshall and Trev had a fall out, leaving Trev with a broken nose! Today they were going out on their bikes when they decided to go see Skelter Cottage which Rory said had been knocked down, but it wasn't a pile of rubble there was nothing there. Well almost nothing. The boys noticed a handle on a trap door. They pulled and revealed a long forgotten room. For Marshall this was the Escape he needed. He could come up here and no one would know, no one except Rory. Marshall wants to escape from his Dad - who he describes as crying or shouting. Music blaring at all times, he was a roadie for bands until the accident that shattered both his hands. Now Mum had gone and Laney (Marshall's sister was at Uni with no intention of returning other than the occasional visit). Dad works at Crikey's Dog Hotel, and he wants Marshall to invite Greg, the owners son, to play (except teenage boys don't 'play'). When Rory decides after their first sleepover that he wants to tell Trev and Sam, there's a row and it ends with Marshall damaging Rory's bike. Marshall then gets lots of nasty texts from Rory...and pictures of them all in The Den. How does he fix it, well not in the right way....until Laney manages to get Dad to intervene, and in a way that surprises Marshall. Family differences, teenage boys and a secret den make for a very good novel. And one outside my normal reading age! TA, ESCP

During the summer I read three fantastic books from Barrington Stoke by Keith Gray back to back. I now consider Keith Gray as one of my favourite ya authors of all time . Non spoilery reviews ⬇️. In The Den we follow Marshall who feels the need to escape his tough home life. And Rory is just happy it’s the beginning of the summer holidays. Whilst out on their bikes they find a long-forgotten about underground bunker near the woods. They turn the bunker into a den. But the den will test their friendship to the max, can they save their friendship before the summer is over? Although this is short novel written for a dyslexia friendly publication they definitely pack a punch and have certainty left a lasting impression on me. They cover a lot of hard hitting topics such as friendships, family life, moving home and betrayal. The author really knows how to write about teenage boys and their complicated lives. Each novel felt very cinematic to me

Keith Gray’s young adult titles are all about friendships and family relationships. He captures a real and visual sense of what it is to be growing up, with one foot still in childhood and the other stepping toe first into adulthood. ‘The Den’ is no different. Marshall can’t really confide in anyone about how he really feels about his homelife so when he finds a place he can retreat to that can be just his, he is desperate to claim ownership. But things don’t work out quite as he’d like and he has to deal with that.