Rating: ***** 5 stars

Bernard Ashley,
Smokescreen
Usborne. 

Ages 10-14 

Ellie's mother drowned in the bath and she and her father are seeking a new beginning in running her uncle's London pub, left to them in his will. Fang Song Yin, far away in rural China, seeks escape from her family's poverty and an opportunity to have a career in singing in England, land of riches and opportunity. Ashley skilfully weaves the girls' stories together, using the parallels between them to craft a tense and compelling drama which consistently hovers between crisis and resolution.

Ashley's trademark is his compassionate understanding of the plight of those in the grip of forces over which they have no control and his presentation of Ellie's emotional crises in friendships and family ties is set against the graphically described indignities and terrors which Fang endures as she makes her escape from China only to find that she has become a degraded possession in the trade of human trafficking.

Both girls' stories end hopefully but with the clear sense that there are battles still to be fought and problems overcome - but under clearer skies.

This is a powerful and thought-provoking read which pulls no punches in awakening its readers to the harsher realities of life, whilst showing that determination and courage still have an important part to play in an increasingly corrupt world.

Vincent Reid
September 2006, No. 160

Guide to the rating system:
***** 5 stars, unmissable
**** 4 stars, very good
*** 3 stars, good
** 2 stars, fair
* 1 star, poor