Its been 5 months since the terrifying events at Crater Lake where the human race was under threat from a vile swarm of angry wasp aliens. But are they back!?

Lance suspects as such, especially after the strange explosion at the university in his hometown Straybridge which has knocked out the wifi (as if having no wifi wasn’t scary enough, just wait) and meant a suspiciously convenient curfew has been placed on its residents. Lance isn’t convinced, his mum is acting really weird now and the family cat is now terrified of her and won’t come in the house. Somethings not right. Lance is going to need help, the help of his friends.

I mean how scary is this… “And then he’s gone, and it’s just me and the thing that used to be my mum.”

But since Crater Lake, relationships have become extremely tense and getting the group back together will be tricky. He only really talks to Karim now and the others barely speak at all. He has to though, they must put any bad feelings towards each other behind them and work as a team once again if they are to have any chance of success… One way or another… Their lives, the town, the world depends on it!

What a terrifying and yet funny book from Jennifer Killick. Warning: Don’t look at Chapter 13 directly in the words, it will make your skin CRAWL! And as if dealing with a vicious race of alien wasps wasn’t bad enough, having to face life in secondary school and drifting friendships as well is almost too much. What this book does show is that just showing up and apologising is sometimes all friendships need and that when you work together anything is possible.

Congratulations on a book that may actually be even better than the first one. I haven’t decided yet, they’re both excellent.

Crater Lake: Evolution is a fast-paced, scary, yet funny, read for kids (8-12) It is a sequel that manages to be even better than the original, Crater Lake. Jennifer Killick has her finger on the pulse on children's language, humour and interests making this an immersive and engaging read. It feels fresh and vibrant. Kids will love it!

She has done it again! Jennifer Killick has combined laugh out lough comedy, middle grade angst, sci fi scariness and fantastic writing, to produce a book that will hook you in and not want to let you go. Don”t ever fall asleep we are told and trust me this book will keep you up at night...simply because you will not be able to put it down!

Old familiar faces and new ones transform and become a force to be recorded with, the gang need to sort out their differences if they are to save the world - again and as a reader you will never look at your Christmas tree in the same way ever again.

A perfect read for sci-fi loving middle graders who like a drama that will scare the, but ultimately make them feel good about themselves and the uncertain world around them..

A simply wonderful sequel that I devoured.

The creatures of Crater Lake are back and are invading the gang’s home town. It felt wonderful, almost like coming home, to see Lance, Chets and the team all back together again. And to have Trent and his wise crack comments was just wonderful. The book is just as fabulous as the first - fast paced, hilarious at points and a really compelling story. Thank you for the arc. I thoroughly enjoyed it and can’t wait to read it to m Y6 class, who are already pondering their own residential trip after the first book.

*please note this review may contain spoilers*

It has evolved! And I not just talking about the waspy alien community in Spraybridge. If you’ve read the first book – named simply Crater Lake – you’ll know that Jennifer Killick has a skill in balancing horror with comedy. But it’s a real feat to create a sequel that not only explains the premise of the first so niftily, without exposition and awkwardness, but grows the storyline with tenacity and tension. With Evolution, she does so - effortlessly. Like Stranger Things meets BBC classroom drama meets popular video game, One of Us, it’s about a group of old school friends that must dodge ill-meaning aliens whilst simultaneously trying to work out how to neutralise them. The plot has really clever little twists and the sci-fi element is true to its roots – there’s real science referencing in this book; prepare to become an amateur entomologist. Also be prepared to be disgusted by that.

All great stories need characters we care about. The cast of Evolution is so colourful and tangible, you can’t not care. (Unless you’re one of them…. Bzzzzzz). We’ve met most of them before – their personalities are clear-cut, believable, unforgettable. But there’s a new one in this book: Karim. Endearingly self-adoring, with slick moves and quick banter and, importantly, a dependency on hair-styling products. I never thought main character, Lance’s friendship group could take any more members, but things are different now, and Karim is a super fresh addition to the cast.

The dialogue is terrific and readers will love the humour tucked between every set of quotation marks. (Because if there's a time where humour is needed in adversity, it's when your mum's body has been hijacked by giant wasp extra-terrestrials). There’s lots of quipping, backchat and banter. It’s full of butts. But that’s where the buts stop.

I have nothing but applause for Crater Lake: Evolution. It's funny and thrilling, and whether they realise it or not, kids will be learning an important life lesson: it doesn’t matter if friendships grow or change – so long as you can put differences aside and come together to work as one when bug-eyed aliens take over your town. That’s all that matters.

With a ten year old in lockdown from school, this book came at just the right time. I read this to him and he loved it so much, he re-read it another FOUR times in one week! Full of adventure and humour, the evil aliens of Crater Lake have evolved and are planning to control the world.
Massive hit here.
We have had to buy the previous book for more in depth reading.
Great work by Jennifer Killick, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Ranked 7/5 by the boy
Thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ahead of publication in exchange for an honest review

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Firefly Press in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to get my hands on an advanced copy of this book as Crater Lake was one of my favourite reads of the year last year so I was keen to find out what happens next with Lance and his friends. The answer it turns out is, quite a lot happens!

The story takes place several months after the events in Crater Lake. Lance and the others have just completed their first term at secondary school and it is almost Christmas. Several changes have taken place during this time and for various reasons, the friends are no longer as close as they once were. In fact some of them are not even speaking to each other any more! However, when an explosion at the local university leads to reports of a mysterious creature escaping and his mum starts acting weirdly, Lance knows he needs to get the gang back together. Aided by Lance's new friend Karim, the former fallies must put aside their arguments and work together to save the town from something even worse than the horror they faced at Crater Lake!

Jennifer Killick is so good at writing children at this age - they sound just like the children I teach! They are all very relatable: talented in some ways, flawed in others. I love the suspense, the terrifying action scenes and the thrill of solving each part of the mystery. However, I think what I like best about these books are the scenes with the group discussions. They're full of witty replies and funny/embarrasing stories, but sometimes they're also the moments when the characters stop pretending and admit how they're really feeling - something we would all benefit from doing more often.

Once again, the mystery is very well thought out and when you look back after reading, the clues are all their, but so cleverly woven into the story that you have to stay alert to pick up on them all! I know this will be a great story to read aloud to a class as there will be so much to discuss about their theories and predictions. The horror aspects of the story are delightfully creepy but also totally age-appropriate which is a great balance. I love the way the suspense builds throughout the story and the fact that this time they're not alone, away from home, but events are happening right in their home town and still no-one can help them, makes this book feel even scarier than the last one!

I really liked the way this book explored how hard the change from primary to secondary school can be. Going to different secondary schools, balancing new friends with old friends, getting to know a new set of teachers and establishing your place in a new school are all big and genuine concerns that 11-year-old children face and I appreciated the way that this story handled these issues. I really think that reading Crater Lake in last term of Year 6 (just before the children go to seondary school) and reading Crater Lake: Evolution during the first term of Year 7, would be a great way to promote discussions about the transition between primary and secondary.

This was a sensational sequel and I highly recommend it to anyone who has read book 1 (and those who have not read book 1 should do that immediately and then read this one!) Will there be a book 3? I hope so!

The bugs are back! And whilst that is SERIOUSLY not good for Lance and co, it's fabulous news for every reader who enjoyed Crater Lake last year. The 2020 middle grade release, written by Jennifer Killick and published by Firefly Press, seemed to create more impact than the meteor that not only made the crater at Crater Lake Activity Centre but brought alien spores with it. And it's not surprising that the first book went down a storm - it had been on the edge of my seat and, most importantly, kept me wide awake! But now it seems the bugs were not defeated after all...

Five months after the year six school trip of nightmares, Lance and his friends are no longer a tight -knit group. Struggling with the transition into high school, things have got tense. But nothing reunites a friendship like the threat of an alien take-over and some seriously strange things are happening in the group's hometown of Straybridge.

After an odd explosion at the university, the town is put under a precautionary curfew. But Lance's mum is acting weird and he's certain the bugs are back. Now it's down to him to heal the rifts that have cracked his crew apart so together they can battle to save their loved ones, their home...and the world.

Just like the first book, this brilliant sequel kicks off with spine-tingling action, a fast pace and bags of sharp banter. Killick has the uncanny ability to nail dialogue between twelve year olds and it is the interaction between Lance's loveable, but humorously dysfunctional group that make these novels such a fab read. Every character brings their own distinct personality, their own very relatable issues and, in the case of the sequel, their own axe to grind. The group has fallen apart and yet it is their deep bond and their ability to overcome the challenges that face them that makes them so powerful...so loveable...and, in fact, so highly functional at battling the enemy. This is a group whose strength is equal to those in Stranger Things and The Goonies. Furthermore, as an adult fan of The Walking Dead, the whole group ethics and plot was right up my street.

Crater Lake Evolution doesn't offer quite the same spooky setting as Crater Lake. However, with the threat being so close to home-or even inside Lance's home-the stakes are at an all-time high. Not only are their own lives at risk but the lives of everyone they hold dear are under threat. I loved that the bugs had evolved and I also loved the clever way the spores were being transmitted- it not only made sense but made the plot fresh and unpredictable. The only brilliantly predictable things was Don't. Ever. Fall. Asleep.

As with the first book, this is not for the faint-hearted. Your palms will be sweaty and your heart will be thumping but, again, Killick keeps the action within the boundary of age appropriateness as long as horror is your genre. You may not want to read it under cover of darkness but rest assured, if you do, you'll feel like part of the group.

Overall, this is another cracking read which not only delivers a creepy, blood-pumping plot but which explores the difficult realities of transitioning into high school, the pressures young people face, the strength and beautiful nature of friendship and the power of teamwork and unity. It is as heart-warming as it is chilling, as funny as it is scary and I guarantee you are in now danger of falling asleep whilst reading it.

A massive thanks to Firefly Press and Netgalley for allowing me to review an early copy. Crater Lake Evolution is now available to pre-order.

Lance and his friends have been back from Crater Lake for 5 months and have settled into high school, although they seem to have all grown apart. Lance and Chets don't see as much of each other now Lance is friendly with Karim; Katja and Ade have fallen out; Big Mak is keeping himself to himself now he's got a girlfriend; and Trent ... well nobody's really seen Trent. Life carries on and Christmas is approaching; however, strange things are starting to occur in Staybridge. The town had been chosen to be the first SMARTtown in the country, but then an explosion at the university's research departments plunges everything into chaos. Nobody is allowed into the centre and everybody is forced to abide by a curfew as one of the living test subjects has escaped. Then, when Lance's mum starts behaving strangely, he becomes increasingly more concerned that his old adversaries from Crater Lake are back and he needs to find a way to rally the troops once again.

Crater Lake was such a gripping book and a huge hit with my class last year when I read it to them (and, indeed, is a big hit with many of my class this year too!) that I was thrilled to be able to read an early copy of Crater Lake Evolution thanks to NetGalley.

It was good to be back with Lance and the rest of the gang from book one. They have clearly grown since we last saw them and their experiences at the activity centre in Year 6 have effected them. They have grown apart so no longer see each other and feuds have formed between some of them. Lance and Chets are still friends but Chets is clearly jealous of Lance's new friendship with Karim (who, in my opinion, is a wonderful addition and a brilliantly funny character). It's Lance's leadership skills that come to the fore once again to reunite the group in order to try to save the town. One of the things I really like about each of the characters is their individuality and the fact that they aren't perfect; they make mistakes and there is very definitely a human side to them; readers can see this and it makes them relatable. Can I say though, that I love the fact that Trent is still Trent and doesn't seem to have changed - he makes me laugh!

This is a brilliant sequel to Crater Lake; full of laughs and adventure, and the perfect was to introduce children to sci-fi. Be ware the evolution of the species and remember: Don't. Ever. Fall. Asleep.

Crater Lake Evolution is due for release on the 20th May.

A huge success of a sequel. Like The Empire Strikes Back is to Star Wars: dare I say it, arguably BETTER than the original. Double the scary, the fun, the adventure & the mystery, this is Stranger Things for kids done Killick style.

Following a residential trip where things got a little…spacey, Lance and his friends have moved up to secondary school, where things are a bit different. Not all of his friends have remained together and now things are getting weird again in their town. His new friend Karim’s mum’s work has exploded and some unknown creature is on the loose. Now there’s a curfew in Straybridge and it’s up to Lance and his friends to work out what on Earth is going on…or perhaps what in space is going on!

The first instalment of Crater Lake was truly phenomenal and I was left repeating the words “don’t ever fall asleep” and thinking that it would make a seriously spooky and gripping novel to read to an UKS2 class. The sequel simply does not disappoint, in fact, I raced through it so quickly, almost reading it in one sitting, I was that desperate to know what was going to happen next! Events happen so quickly in Crater Lake Evolution and it’s the sort of book that has you on the edge of your seat.

Aside from the zippy plot, the character dynamics are truly what makes this book just work. The entire main cast of friends are likeable, funny and well fleshed out. I particularly enjoyed new boy Karim, with his air of overconfidence and oodles of hairspray. Lance’s cheery way despite all manner of strange and terrible things happening is great to read and I loved seeing the whole old gang come together once more.

For many children, reading about the character’s transition to secondary school and the adjustments will be something that they can familiarise themselves with and understand from their own point of view.

Overall, this book has made me never want to eat a bowl of tomato soup again, so I must give it 5 out of 5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Firefly Press for providing an e-book review copy.

Phew! Now my pulse has returned to somewhere near normal…

Jennifer Killick is back at her brilliant best and I for one am thrilled. I have been desperate for a sequel to Crater Lake and was leaping about with excitement after getting this advanced reader copy via Netgalley. If Emma Carroll is the ‘Queen of historical fiction’ then Jennifer Killick is rapidly becoming the loveable evil overlord of the comedic science-fiction horror.

Firstly, if you have not read Crater Lake - the book that precedes this new release - then you are really missing out. And secondly, you really need to as the action in Crater Lake Evolution picks up six months later and without the prior knowledge everything will seem a bit disjointed.

It is Christmas time and several months have passed since Lance and his friends returned from the nightmare school residential at Crater Lake. Having survived the big-ass wasp like creatures, the once tightly-knit group of friends have gone their separate ways and are settling into life at new high schools. Old friends have been replaced by new ones and personalities are rapidly changing as Lance and his old gang adapt to their new school surroundings where they are all just trying to fit in.

Like lots of towns, Straybridge is a quiet place where the local residents will tell you that nothing interesting ever happens. But when something does happen, boy does it kick off with a bang. There’s a huge explosion at the university, Lance’s mum starts acting weird and a rogue creature being used as a test subject for research purposes escapes from a secure science lab.

As Lance and new best mate Karim begin to investigate what on earth is going on it soon becomes apparent that Lance and his mates are not the only things to have returned from Crater Lake. And the safety of Straybridge, in fact the safety of the entire human race, depends on Lance getting the gang back together to stop an invasion of advanced alien mutants.

Crater Lake Evolution is gripping from start to finish. It is an action-packed, adrenaline-fuelled thriller and there is never a dull moment. Killick expertly builds up tension and suspense and there are plenty of surprises, twists and turns that will send shivers down the spine and have hearts racing. As the mystery builds and the threat from the aliens becomes more perilous there are plenty of close scrapes and near misses as the gang just about manage to stay one step ahead of the all-seeing and all-hearing mutants. Killick writes with a great awareness of her audience. As in her previous books, she has included references to some of her favourite things - Marvel, LEGO and Star Wars all get a shout out - and there are many other references that will strike a chord with the youth of today.

The characters in the narrative are totally believable and readers will find at least one that they can relate to and will probably see their friends in others. The relationships between Lance and his friends feel totally genuine and their interactions are typical for children of that age - the banter they share, the arguments they have, the feelings and emotions that they are experiencing and have towards each other.

Amidst all the alien hunting and strange goings-on are strong messages of friendship and teamwork. Lance and his mates all possess their own ‘super-powers’ - whether they be a tech-wizard or have superhuman climbing abilities - and the defeating of the aliens will depend on all of them bringing their talents to the party. As the gang slowly reforms and grudges are overcome and disagreements are resolved, Lance learns that it is OK to have new friends and that he can always rely on his old, true friends to be there when he needs them - such an important message for those children moving onto high school.

As per the first book, the words ‘DON’T, EVER, FALL ASLEEP’ are emblazoned across the front cover and this is a warning I strongly suggest you heed. Probably best to avoid the tomato soup too.

Recommended for 9+.

Thanks to the lovely peeps at Firefly Press for the advanced reader copy that was obtained through Netgalley. Crater Lake Evolution is due for publication on 20th May 2021.

I love a good sci-fi book for kids and Jennifer Killick’s Crater Lake is one of the best. I read it during lockdown here in NZ last year and it was the perfect book to get lost in during that time. It was a book that gripped me right from the start and I didn’t notice time passing around me while I read it. If you haven’t read it already you absolutely should and you can read about it here in my review. It is such a great book that I was super excited to hear there was going to be a sequel. Crater Lake: Evolution is coming in May and I was lucky enough to read it early through NetGalley, thanks to Firefly Books. You need to add this book to your TBR pile (along with the first book) because you’re not going to want to miss it!

Crater Lake: Evolution follows on several months after the events of the first book. Lance and his friends have started at different high schools and they have drifted apart. Lance has become friends with Karim and Chets is jealous of their friendship. Karim’s mum works at the university for XGen, which is giving their town renewable energy and super-fast Wi-Fi. Their town is the first SMARTtown in the country. Just when Lance thinks that life is back to normal, an explosion at the university sees the forces from Crater Lake taking hold in his town. These aren’t the same forces as before though. They have evolved into something more dangerous. Lance has to try and get the gang back together again, to work through their differences and save their families themselves. If they don’t stop the evil force’s plans in their town, the rest of the world will be next.

Crater Lake: Evolution is a thrilling, nail-biting sequel that I devoured. I thought Crater Lake was an amazing story but Evolution is even better! The action is fast-paced and there were times I found myself holding my breath as I wasn’t sure how the characters were going to get through. Chapter 13 is one of the most terrifying scenes I’ve read in a children’s book! I can’t spoil what happens but it sent chills down my spine. It is incredibly creepy but such fantastic writing, and it keeps you on the edge of your seat. It’s the sort of book that I guarantee would capture a whole class of Year 7/8 students because it’s so gripping.

Many of the characters from the first book are back in this book but there is a completely different dynamic. The characters have made new friends but some have also felt the pressure to be a different person at high school. I really liked the way that Jennifer developed the characters but also how she threw them together so that they had to deal with their issues and talk about their emotions. The interactions between the characters adds some comic relief into the story, with some good jokes at the expense of some of the least likeable characters.

The ending is particularly satisfying and it feels like things are wrapped up nicely. But are they? If I know anything from reading Crater Lake it’s that there is always the possibility that there are loose ends that haven’t been completely dealt with. I would certainly like more adventures with the Crater Lake Crew.

Wow - Jennifer Killick has done it again!
5 months after the horrifying events at Crater Lake, Lance and his friends find out that it’s not over. An explosion over at the university and some strange behaviour makes him realise that there’s been an evolution and life in Straybridge is about to become even more dangerous than Crater Lake...

Like it’s predecessor, Crater Lake: Evolution is a rollercoaster of twists, turns and thrills, which will keep you on the edge of your seat from the first chapter. What I loved was the fracture in Lance’s group which added another layer to the mystery - what had happened over the last 5 months to them all?

Jennifer also retains the brilliant comedic horror from the first, which made Crater Lake one of my favourite books of 2020. Lance’s voice is so authentic and littered with pop culture references that it would be hard for him not to resonate with younger people reading it.

Overall, a fantastic sequel. I’ve already pre-ordered a signed copy as I need this in my collection.

This book was amusing and full of adventure.

What I liked about this book:
- The book was funny and lighthearted whilst also being quite deep.
- The adventure and action was a lot of fun.
- The sense of mystery between everyone was great. No one knew what was going on, and it made the book suspenseful and a definite page-turner.
- The interaction between characters was enjoyable and really strong.

This is a great follow up to Crater Lake, full of action, adventure and friendship.
Lance and his friends just about survived the events of their school summer residential. Now, months later, they have drifted apart following the start of secondary school. A strange explosion in the town sets off a chain of events, bringing the old friends back together once again.
I really enjoyed the new addition of Karim, Lance's new friend, and having the old gang back together and working through their friendship
Once again, the friends must combat aliens, dangerous spores and some old enemies.
This was a great read which kept me up as I couldn't put it down! Thanks for the ARC copy. A great book.

Bursting with next generation aliens, dangerous spores, a survival bunker and an evil teacher everyone wanted to forget, Crater Lake: Evolution is a gripping page-turner that demands to be read in one sitting! Jennifer Killick is a science fiction genius with a sequel that is even better than the original.

Lance and his friends will never forget their time at Crater Lake when their Year 6 residential went incredibly wrong. Now, months later, it’s Christmas and they have a new set of challenges – learning how to cope when friends drift apart and things in secondary school just aren’t the same as they were in primary. New friends threaten to replace old and life is moving on far too fast.

Their town is leading the way with technological advancements. Aiming to become the first “SMARTown”, trials of XGEN phone and data services and university labs are all anyone is talking about. Suddenly, a strange explosion and a leak in one of the labs means a live test subject has escaped and the town is in danger! Lance and his mum try to protect themselves but it might be too late.

Determined to find out what’s going on, Lance and his new friend, Karim, rally the old gang and try to make sense of the mysterious threat surrounding them. Will they be able to leave any hard feelings behind and work together to save their families and town or will they find themselves trapped by the creatures tracking their every move?

This is a story of friendship, teamwork and trust. Lance discovers there is room in his life for both old and new friends – friends who understand without needing an explanation, who accept him for who he really is, laugh with him and stick by him when it comes down to the crunch. There’s no room for one person to be the hero – they all save each other. Full of personality and pop references, children will definitely see themselves in these brilliant characters.

Readers of Crater Lake: Evolution need to be ready for anything! They will be taken on a hair-raising adventure that will send shivers down their spines and ensure they never eat soup again! This is a Christmas story like no other! No matter what – Don’t. Ever. Fall. Asleep.

Thank you to Firefly Press for this wonderfully creepy book!

After reading the latest offering in the Crater Lake series, it is now even more apparent that Jennifer Killick is fast becoming the queen of the horror-comedy genre. Crater Lake Evolution is the Goonies of children’s literature: it has the perfect mix of fear and fun and the relationship between the characters is beautifully written.

It’s been five months since the ill-fated residential to Crater Lake. Strange and unusual things are occurring in Lance’s hometown of Straybridge and it’s up to him and his friends to investigate. Will they be able to save their town, as well as saving their friendships?

Like its prequel, Crater Lake Evolution is an excellent story: unpredictable, fast moving and with moments of absolute hilarity. My favourite thing about this series is the total believability of the characters. Jennifer has created a band of pre-teens who feel real and authentic in every single way - from their actions to their words, their likes to their dislikes. The author clearly has an excellent grip on the pulse of her target market and knows exactly how they speak and interact, as well as the latest trends. The relationships between characters feels totally real and I like that lots of things have happened to their friendships since the first book, making the reader feel like the world of Lance and co has continued, unwritten.

This is a perfect transition book; it captures many of the struggles experienced by pupils as they move from primary to secondary school and helps to emphasise the importance of staying true to oneself and valuing your friends. I absolutely adored every word of it and cannot wait to add it to my classroom bookshelf. It is perfect for pupils from Year 5 upwards.

I adored Crater Lake, and Evolution did not disappoint. I loved the fact they had grown up and had friendship issues. Trent has some great one liners. A must read!

Warning: contains spoilers for Crater Lake.

Unlike many who read Crater Lake, for me it was an impulse buy. I had made a trip to my local bookshop with the intention of only buying A Sprinkle of Sorcery by Michelle Harrison and spotted that title alongside it on the table displaying the newly-released books. At that point – to my eternal shame – I hadn’t read any of Jennifer Killick’s other books and was just starting to use Twitter as a medium to discover new reads. Crater Lake was a title which had been popping up over and over again and, curious to see what the fuss was about, I thought: ‘Why not?’

Although I’ve always been a fan of science fiction, up to that point much of what I was reading fell very firmly into the fantasy category – books filled with strange and exciting new worlds, and magic and witchcraft. Not because I didn’t want to read books like this but because in the main, they just didn’t exist, or if they did I wasn’t seeing them reflected on the shelves of the bookshops I was visiting. A few days after purchasing the original title, we went into our first national lockdown and after reading Sprinkle, I moved onto that – hoping to find an escape from what was going on around me. And escape I certainly did, into a book which it is really very unfair to label just as science-fiction because it is also extremely funny in parts, is crammed full of adventure and carries a strong message about the importance of friendship and perseverance, with some of the best characterisation I’ve ever read.

For anyone who is yet unaware of the first book – and if you are, you really need to address that – the plot relates what occurs on a Year 6 residential trip like no other, one spent at the location of the title. There, our hero Lance and his classmates discover an alien plot to take over the world, which involves the would-be invaders taking over their human hosts one-by-one while they sleep. After finding themselves in terrible danger over and over, eventually Lance and his friends are victorious and life goes back to normal. Until now.

Since we last met Lance, he has transitioned to high school and is enjoying that activity so beloved of Year 7 boys – playing a video game through the wonders of modern technology, engaging remotely with friend Chets when we meet him once more. Lance is updating Chets as to the health of his mother, which has been poor since she went through the stress related to Lance’s experience at Crater Lake but of late has been much better; following this the boys discuss the sad rift that has opened up between a couple of their mutual friends. Full of hope, Lance also broaches the subject of adding Karim – a new friend he has made at high school – to their online group, something that Chets is reluctant to do in case it sends out the wrong message to the others.

As the discussion moves on to Lance’s Christmas tree, which he has yet to decorate, the boys are startled by a sudden boom, strong enough to make the house shake. Rushing to the window, Lance sees a plume of black smoke rising into the sky from across the other side of town – a sight which Chets describes as apocalyptic – before numerous flashing blue lights appear in the distance. Lance then heads downstairs after being called by his mother and the two of them watch the breaking news reporting a large explosion in their home town of Straybridge – one which has yet to be explained, but is thought to have taken place at the university campus.

Frightened by what has happened, Lance’s mother tries to call Nadia – a friend who works at the university and who happens to be Karim’s mother – as Lance phones Karim. Karim reassures him that Nadia had been safely at home but has just headed off to the university to find out more, as she is concerned about the experiments she has been running. When Karim tells him that there are several different departments there, all running different research projects, Lance starts to speculate as to exactly what sort of research has been going on and if there was anything dangerous in the labs.

Having finished speaking to his friend, and with the rolling news carrying on in the background, Lance and his mother start to try to decorate their tree. With nothing new to report, the news details Straybridge’s status as the country’s first SMARTtown – an area in which lots of investment has been made in science and new technology. It is several hours later that a news conference is finally broadcast, held by the Chief of Straybridge police and the Communications Officer of the SMARTtown project. This reveals that not only has there been a significant explosion at the university, but that one of the research projects housed there involved living test subjects – one of whom is unaccounted for. With the town now under curfew, Lance and his friends must overcome their differences and come together again to defeat the new horrors that await them. Things are different from before, however, because not only is the danger greater than it was previously, but it now lies much, much closer to home…

There are so many things I want to say about this book but I really don’t want to include too many details here to spoil it for anyone who is – as I was – eagerly anticipating reading it. Let me just say that there are lots and lots of little nods to the original that made me smile as I encountered them the whole way through the story, and which will delight other readers as much as they did me. Having said that, please do not think that you need to have read the first title to enjoy this, because that is not the case at all. This works perfectly as a stand-alone book and any background that is needed is covered flawlessly and seamlessly so that if you haven’t read Book 1, you will not even notice its inclusion.

As before, it is really doing Jeniffer Killick an enormous disservice to say that this is a science fiction title because it covers so many genres. Packed into the story is a great deal of the humour for which she is well-known and which acts as a perfect contrast to the scary parts. And believe me, there are some very, very scary parts in this book. Like a great many of my colleagues in school this week, who are trying to get to grips with teaching in class and remotely at the same time, I haven’t slept well and twice have found myself reading this in the middle of the night. There is one point in the book in particular – set in Lance’s bedroom, when he is supposed to be asleep – which had my heart pounding as I sat in bed, in the dark, reading this on my Kindle, imagining that I was experiencing what he was. The book is not too scary however, and many children of Year 5 age and above will revel in their not being molly-coddled by the deliciously creepy parts of the story, whether reading alone or sharing with an adult or in class.

As someone who spends a lot of time with children, I am very familiar with the way in which they act and speak and Jennifer has again captured these aspects of her characterisations with pinpoint accuracy. As Lance narrates our story it is exactly as a boy in Year 7 would, rather than what an adult believes a child of that age would say, which takes an awful lot of observation and skill as a writer. This is true of all the children within the book, with their little quirks and habits, and acts to make the story that much more credible.

Something that I was particularly delighted to see in the book is the introduction of a second character with a long-term health issue. Jennifer Killick has been quite open and honest about her Ulcerative Colitis on Twitter and elsewhere and while that is not the condition affecting the individual in this book, there will be a great many children reading this who will be thrilled to see themselves represented here. Following the Black Lives Matter protests of last year, many of us in schools have tried our best to ensure that the titles we read and share with our children better reflect the diversity of our society – not just with regard to the colours of our skins, but also different family set-ups, abilities and health conditions. Crater Lake has proved to be a popular class reader in many schools and this will too – not just because it is a fantastically exciting story, but because a huge amount of PSHE will be covered by discussing the differences displayed so empathetically here.

I think it is fair to say that I absolutely loved this book – possibly even more than the original title – and I consider myself extremely fortunate to have been able to read it ahead of publication, as I know that the number of readers through Net Galley were limited. It is such a wonderful read that it is one that I have also pre-ordered a real copy of – something I do not do with all of the titles I read through that site. To Net Galley, to Firefly Press and to Jennifer Killick, I would like to say an enormous thank you. It can only be a magnificent 5 out of 5 stars.