Will's Elf by Pepys Blake

Will's Elf is a tough book to classify. Is it a book for teens? I'm not sure: some of the humour may be too subtle; some of the references too obscure. A book for adults then? I don't know: the narrative is set in a boarding school and the main protagonist is a twelve year old kid. On reflection, I think that Will's Elf is a book for dads; maybe dads of teenagers; dads who are still able to reflect on their teenage years and their schooldays with the abstraction that comes from age and experience. But who cares! Whoever Will's Elf is meant for is a great fun read. It is a wild rollercoaster ride of a fantasy novel, large in scope, big on ideas and packed full of laughs. It is Shrek on paper. I give it a big thumbs up.

Will's Elf by Pepys Blake is a BIG read! It is aimed at a teen fantasy fiction audience, and I also suspect the fathers of the teen fantasy fiction audience! The size of the book might initially by off-putting to a generation grown up on quick-fix entertainment and immediate gratification, but Will's Elf is definitely a book to stick with: in fact, by the end, you are just wishing that it was longer! The main protagonist of Will's Elf is Will B. Fine, an imaginative school-boy trapped in a stifling Fenland boarding school. Lucky for Will then that he has a companion in a feisty elf called Day-Z, who is able to show him a world of adventures beyond the confines of the school buildings. Will's Elf is a very entertaining read, and it is also a very informative novel, too. Cutting-edge scientific theories and ideas about the philosophy of religion sit alongside a fast-paced narrative. Reading Will's Elf felt like a teen rite-of-passage - Will Fine has a lot of growing up to do in the book, as he discovers an adult world of choice and responsibility, and ultimate tragedy, and this reflects a lot of young peoples' experiences. So, a BIG read, but a GOOD read!