Fathom Five

Chas McGill #2

by Robert Westall

Dad said the best spies were people nobody would expect, like the insurance man, but somehow Jack couldn't see old Tubby Tolliver as a Nazi spy. All the same he was convinced there was one — someone in Garmouth who had found a way to pass vital information to the Germans about Allied ships entering and leaving port. How else could the U-boat captain possibly have known what the Convert Star was carrying before she was sunk, and why else should anyone go to the trouble of fixing a solid gold pocket watch and an oscillating valve into the old enamel bowl Jack and Cem fished out of the river? The gadget was crude, home-made, but the radio signal it emitted was remarkably — dangerously effective. But was there really a spy, or was it all just a childish game to while away the long school holiday — and how do you set about finding spies anyway? Cem and Audrey helped, reluctantly, but if it hadn't been for Sheila, Jack would probably have given up and forgotten the whole thing. And perhaps, after all, that would have been better, for what he found in the end proved, shatteringly, that nothing — or almost nothing — in that war-weary spring of 1943 was what it seemed.

Genres: War, Young Adult, Childrens, Historical Fiction, Fiction, World War II

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Robert Westall was born in North Shields, Northumberland, England in 1929.

His first published book The Machine Gunners (1975) which won him the Carnegie Medal is set in World War Two when a group of children living on Tyneside retrieve a machine-gun from a crashed German aircraft. He won the Carnegie Medal again in 1981 for The Scarecrows, the first writer to win it twice. He won the Smarties Prize in 1989 for Blitzcat and the Guardian Award in 1990 for The Kingdom by the Sea. Robert Westall's books have been published in 21 different countries and in 18 different languages, including Braille.

From: http://www.robertwestall.com/

Reviews

[Wayne Farmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you haven't read the Machine Gunners then you should get it now

The Machine Gunners

The Machine Gunners was one of my favourite books as a kid - the story of a boy called Chas who finds a downed German plane in WW2 with its machine gun still intact and what he does with said machine gun. I never realised until recently that this sequel existed and I wondered if it would be as good.

I wasn't disappointed. The best thing about these two books is that the characters and their environment seem real. Westall writes regional accents very well and you can hear them in your head as you read. I don't know if this book is aimed at older children like the previous one, but if it is then Westall treats his audience more like young adults - there is the odd swear word in there. Its only when you read his notes at the end of the book and find out that it is autobiographical in parts that you realise why it all seems so true to life.

A well written and worthy sequel - this is definitely one to read.

[David Tendo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sequel to The Machine Gunners - one of my childhood favourites - how could I resist? Although not quite as good as it's predecessor - it feels too much like an afterthought, I didn't think that The Machine Gunners needed a sequel, this almost felt unnecessary and unrelated to the events of the first book - but still, it's a riveting read.

[Huw Collingbourne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robert Westall was a wonderful writer. This book continues the story of the characters introduced in his marvelous book, The Machine Gunners. This sequel is not up to the high standards set by that book but it's a good read all the same. It has perhaps a bit too much in the way of a "ripping adventure" to be entirely satisfying (to me, an adult reader). All the same, a book well worth reading.

[Daisy May Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Much more adult than it may initially seem, I found this quite a difficult thing to read, let alone follow. It also had some elements that I felt quite uneasy in reading. Although much of that is the point - this is a boy confronting adulthood, becoming his own person, and adulthood isn't that pleasant nor is it that great in these circumstances - there's still some stuff in here that I just didn't think was necessary or would have been published today. Do note that if you're planning to use this with young people, you really need to read it in advance.

[Peter Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the sequel to The Machine Gunners and it certainly has a more adult tone. It's less of a boy's own adventure and whilst largely influenced by Westall's own childhood, this isn't laid on as strongly.

It feels a bit dated, especially in the sections dealing with the pawnbroker and the mechanics of the spy making initial contact with the U boat and having all that laid on don't pass scrutiny, it is nevertheless a cracking good read.

[Ria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, full of thrills and excitement at the height of World war II.
Chas McGill is convinced there is a spy in the midst of the village where he lives.
At first his theories and ideas are just laughed off as the imaginings of a boy but Chas is right and due to the disbelief things take a drastic turn which leads to danger, murder and information falling into enemy hands.
Can Chas unmask the identity of the German spy or will he be too late to save his village and help the war effort?
Well worth reading.

[Ryan]

Fat

[dulcie · Rating 3 out of 5]

so much sexist shit😦😦