Inside the Worm

Fliss Morgan #2

by Robert Swindells

Room 13: Somebody – or some thing was in there. There is no room thirteen in the creepy Hotel, where
Fliss and her friends are staying on a school trip. Or is there?

Also includes, Inside the Worm.

Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Middle Grade, Childrens

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Robert Swindells was born in Bradford in 1939, the eldest of five children. He left the local Secondary Modern School at fifteen to work as a copy holder on the local newspaper. At seventeen he enlisted in the RAF and served for three years, two in Germany. On being discharged he worked as a clerk, engineer and printer until 1969 when he entered college to train as a teacher having obtained five 'O' levels at night-school. His first book 'When Darkness Comes' was written as a college thesis and published by Hodder and Stoughton in 1972. In 1980 he gave up teaching to write full time. He likes travelling and visits many schools each year, talking and reading stories to children. He is the secutatry of his local Peace Movement group. Brother in the Land is his first book for Oxford University Press. He is married with two grown-up daughters and lives in Bradford.

Author description taken from Brother in the Land.

Reviews

[Ken · Rating 3 out of 5]

To celebrate the local legend of a mysterious monstrous worm (or Dragon), Fliss and her friends are chosen to re-enact the legend for the village Festival.
But something is starting to effect the four friends, surly it’s just superstition or have they awoken the beast?

[AlenGarou · Rating 3 out of 5]

3-

Non avevo la più pallida idea che questo fosse il continuo de La stanza 13, ma nel ritrovare tutti i vecchi personaggi non c’è stato alcun dubbio.
Fliss, devi andare a Lourdes.
Sul serio, tesoro, non è possibile che capitino tutte a te. E che tu venga bullizzata così tanto dai tuoi amici.
Ad ogni modo, Nel ventre del drago non regge il confronto con il suo predecessore. Risulta comunque una lettura godibile per ragazzi, ma manca del fascino del mistero e della tensione narrativa che Swindells aveva saputo regalarci. Non che La stanza 13 sia un capolavoro a mio avviso, ma almeno viene considerato come un cult per bambini per ovvie ragioni.
Qui la trama è fiacca, non c’è un vero mistero nonostante le premesse fossero interessanti. Ed è proprio la mancanza di segretezza verso la natura del drago che la lettura risulta prevedibile e poco entusiasmante. E Fliss ha rischiato la morte, di nuovo.
Anche se non mi ha colpito, Nel ventre del drago non è un romanzo da bocciare. Anzi, credo che il target di riferimento possa apprezzarlo appieno, ma per quanto mi riguarda… meh.

[Stephen Hayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

A small town is celebrating the millennium of the martyrdom of their patron saint, St Ceridwen (is there a real St Ceridwen?), and so a weeklong festival is planned, culminating in a play on the life of the saint, who, in addition to dying as a martyr, had defeated a dragon that plagued the small village, not my killing it, but by banishing it to a fen.

The Year 8 pupils of the BottomTop Middle School are given the responsibility of producing the play, and Felicity "Fliss" Morgan is chosen to play the part of St Ceridwen, while her best friend Lisa Watmough is one of four children playing the dragon, whose costume they create out of whatever materials they can find.

Lisa is at first reluctant to take part, as she has a strange feeling that something bad will happen, but once she gets started she participates enthusiastically, and it's Fliss's turn to get worried as Lisa seems to change, and not in a nice way, and those who are acting the dragon's part seem to become too enthusiastic. The tension increases, until the day of the festival itself.

[Antoni Savander · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ihan ok nuorten kirja. Olihan siinä jonkin verran jännitystäkin mukana, mutta aika selkeä lopputulosta myöten. Se jäi mieleen, ettei sitä Ceridwenin mekon kosketusta tarvinnut ruveta selittämään sen tarkemmin.

[Capn]

(Sequel to Room 13, protag Fliss Morgan. Room 13 = MY (=MG) on ARbookfind.co.uk)

[Matthew Fleming · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually disagree with these reviews -I think it's marginally better than Room 13, especially for that amazing sense of dread it builds. It's a childhood classic for me!

[Assikatsum · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Inside the Worm" is another childhood/young adult "classic" for me. It has that fantastic atmosphere for me, still. The pictures (finnish edition by Karisto) in the beginning of chapters work well in setting the mood as the plot thickens.

A class of teenage school children are going to perform a play, to celebrate a historical event: 1000 years ago a dragon that terrorized the village was finally banished by a beautiful maiden. When four people are selected to play the Worm, strange things start to happen as they prepare their costume for the upcoming event. Fliss is selected to play Ceridwen, the maiden, and her best friend Lisa joins Ellie-May, Gary and Trot to play the worm. Fliss has some ominous feelings concerning the play - is there something bigger going on behind the scenes?

[Louise · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this right after Room 13 which I think spoiled it for me. I guess it's just a bit too young for me - which I don't normally say about children's books, but this one just didn't work for me. The physical book is great though with it's different images for every chapter.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

After the delight of discovering Room 13 as a kid, I was thrilled to get another story featuring the same characters - but Inside the Worm failed to deliver. There were a few moments of delicious horror, but in general it felt like this novel was written without as much thought or love.

[Alison Tala]

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14829915