Electric Full Stops

Everything in this book - including its title - is written by youngsters from both junior and secondary schools. The standard of writing, whether story or poetry, is consistently high and occasionally inspired - Heather Macnaught, Eva Okwonga and Sarah Stringer must surely be names to watch out for in the future. Section headings are imaginative and the artwork accompanying the writing is often stunning. These submissions largely lack the self-consciousness of some adult writing and are blessedly free from the desire - sometimes evident in the work of established authors - to be fashionable in literary terms. This anthology is a rewarding source of material for use in the classroom and quite simply, a joy to read.