Warning: contains spoilers for Crater Lake.

Unlike many who read Crater Lake, for me it was an impulse buy. I had made a trip to my local bookshop with the intention of only buying A Sprinkle of Sorcery by Michelle Harrison and spotted that title alongside it on the table displaying the newly-released books. At that point – to my eternal shame – I hadn’t read any of Jennifer Killick’s other books and was just starting to use Twitter as a medium to discover new reads. Crater Lake was a title which had been popping up over and over again and, curious to see what the fuss was about, I thought: ‘Why not?’

Although I’ve always been a fan of science fiction, up to that point much of what I was reading fell very firmly into the fantasy category – books filled with strange and exciting new worlds, and magic and witchcraft. Not because I didn’t want to read books like this but because in the main, they just didn’t exist, or if they did I wasn’t seeing them reflected on the shelves of the bookshops I was visiting. A few days after purchasing the original title, we went into our first national lockdown and after reading Sprinkle, I moved onto that – hoping to find an escape from what was going on around me. And escape I certainly did, into a book which it is really very unfair to label just as science-fiction because it is also extremely funny in parts, is crammed full of adventure and carries a strong message about the importance of friendship and perseverance, with some of the best characterisation I’ve ever read.

For anyone who is yet unaware of the first book – and if you are, you really need to address that – the plot relates what occurs on a Year 6 residential trip like no other, one spent at the location of the title. There, our hero Lance and his classmates discover an alien plot to take over the world, which involves the would-be invaders taking over their human hosts one-by-one while they sleep. After finding themselves in terrible danger over and over, eventually Lance and his friends are victorious and life goes back to normal. Until now.

Since we last met Lance, he has transitioned to high school and is enjoying that activity so beloved of Year 7 boys – playing a video game through the wonders of modern technology, engaging remotely with friend Chets when we meet him once more. Lance is updating Chets as to the health of his mother, which has been poor since she went through the stress related to Lance’s experience at Crater Lake but of late has been much better; following this the boys discuss the sad rift that has opened up between a couple of their mutual friends. Full of hope, Lance also broaches the subject of adding Karim – a new friend he has made at high school – to their online group, something that Chets is reluctant to do in case it sends out the wrong message to the others.

As the discussion moves on to Lance’s Christmas tree, which he has yet to decorate, the boys are startled by a sudden boom, strong enough to make the house shake. Rushing to the window, Lance sees a plume of black smoke rising into the sky from across the other side of town – a sight which Chets describes as apocalyptic – before numerous flashing blue lights appear in the distance. Lance then heads downstairs after being called by his mother and the two of them watch the breaking news reporting a large explosion in their home town of Straybridge – one which has yet to be explained, but is thought to have taken place at the university campus.

Frightened by what has happened, Lance’s mother tries to call Nadia – a friend who works at the university and who happens to be Karim’s mother – as Lance phones Karim. Karim reassures him that Nadia had been safely at home but has just headed off to the university to find out more, as she is concerned about the experiments she has been running. When Karim tells him that there are several different departments there, all running different research projects, Lance starts to speculate as to exactly what sort of research has been going on and if there was anything dangerous in the labs.

Having finished speaking to his friend, and with the rolling news carrying on in the background, Lance and his mother start to try to decorate their tree. With nothing new to report, the news details Straybridge’s status as the country’s first SMARTtown – an area in which lots of investment has been made in science and new technology. It is several hours later that a news conference is finally broadcast, held by the Chief of Straybridge police and the Communications Officer of the SMARTtown project. This reveals that not only has there been a significant explosion at the university, but that one of the research projects housed there involved living test subjects – one of whom is unaccounted for. With the town now under curfew, Lance and his friends must overcome their differences and come together again to defeat the new horrors that await them. Things are different from before, however, because not only is the danger greater than it was previously, but it now lies much, much closer to home…

There are so many things I want to say about this book but I really don’t want to include too many details here to spoil it for anyone who is – as I was – eagerly anticipating reading it. Let me just say that there are lots and lots of little nods to the original that made me smile as I encountered them the whole way through the story, and which will delight other readers as much as they did me. Having said that, please do not think that you need to have read the first title to enjoy this, because that is not the case at all. This works perfectly as a stand-alone book and any background that is needed is covered flawlessly and seamlessly so that if you haven’t read Book 1, you will not even notice its inclusion.

As before, it is really doing Jeniffer Killick an enormous disservice to say that this is a science fiction title because it covers so many genres. Packed into the story is a great deal of the humour for which she is well-known and which acts as a perfect contrast to the scary parts. And believe me, there are some very, very scary parts in this book. Like a great many of my colleagues in school this week, who are trying to get to grips with teaching in class and remotely at the same time, I haven’t slept well and twice have found myself reading this in the middle of the night. There is one point in the book in particular – set in Lance’s bedroom, when he is supposed to be asleep – which had my heart pounding as I sat in bed, in the dark, reading this on my Kindle, imagining that I was experiencing what he was. The book is not too scary however, and many children of Year 5 age and above will revel in their not being molly-coddled by the deliciously creepy parts of the story, whether reading alone or sharing with an adult or in class.

As someone who spends a lot of time with children, I am very familiar with the way in which they act and speak and Jennifer has again captured these aspects of her characterisations with pinpoint accuracy. As Lance narrates our story it is exactly as a boy in Year 7 would, rather than what an adult believes a child of that age would say, which takes an awful lot of observation and skill as a writer. This is true of all the children within the book, with their little quirks and habits, and acts to make the story that much more credible.

Something that I was particularly delighted to see in the book is the introduction of a second character with a long-term health issue. Jennifer Killick has been quite open and honest about her Ulcerative Colitis on Twitter and elsewhere and while that is not the condition affecting the individual in this book, there will be a great many children reading this who will be thrilled to see themselves represented here. Following the Black Lives Matter protests of last year, many of us in schools have tried our best to ensure that the titles we read and share with our children better reflect the diversity of our society – not just with regard to the colours of our skins, but also different family set-ups, abilities and health conditions. Crater Lake has proved to be a popular class reader in many schools and this will too – not just because it is a fantastically exciting story, but because a huge amount of PSHE will be covered by discussing the differences displayed so empathetically here.

I think it is fair to say that I absolutely loved this book – possibly even more than the original title – and I consider myself extremely fortunate to have been able to read it ahead of publication, as I know that the number of readers through Net Galley were limited. It is such a wonderful read that it is one that I have also pre-ordered a real copy of – something I do not do with all of the titles I read through that site. To Net Galley, to Firefly Press and to Jennifer Killick, I would like to say an enormous thank you. It can only be a magnificent 5 out of 5 stars.

CRATER LAKE EVOLUTION
Firstly, if you haven’t read Crater Lake OG yet, do yourself a favour and go find yourself a copy! It’s such a great introduction for chn into the sci fi / horror genre. Then you will be ready to continue the adventure with Lance et al (thank GOD they’re all back together) when Evolution comes out later this year. I was so lucky to get my hands on a copy and was utterly gripped! Jen has such a great writing style where the characters’ voices are genuinely authentic and you can tell when an author loves her characters because they are developed over the course of the books and completely endearing. Lance and co. have now made the transition to secondary school, which has brought its own challenges for all. After surviving their nightmare residential at CL, the group need to work through their differences to solve the mystery of the explosion at the university and the escape of the mystery test subject. As always, Jen’s book is filled with humour, action, delightful gore and a sprinkling of science, which makes them
so great to read. All the way through, I kept thinking how much children will love this book and I think that’s all you really need to know! Crater Lake Evolution is a brilliant continuation of the CL story and is definitely one to pre-order! I am so excited to share this with my class when it is released.

I had high praise for Crater Lake and so did everyone else who read it. I may be alone but I felt this may have been even better. With moments of hilarity, and toilet humour thrown in, the Crater Lake survivors are back and adapting to life in highschool. Their friendships are strained now due to various arguments, changes and adapting to life as Y7 and it takes some time to work through their issues. Aside from the normal Y7 issues, life is pretty normal until Lance detects some weird changes in his Mum. She seems healthier than ever before but when he wakes in the night to hear her climbing the walls, he knows danger is lurking closer and closer.
The gang must re-unite to sort their issues but also to plan how to take down familiar creatures from their past before the entire town succumbs to the evolution. When a friend is turned, the evolution of the species is apparent and terrifying but Lance and his crew of clever and courageous friends are ready!

This thrilling read had me sat with my shoulders hunched around my ears and my breathe held in...perfect for a late night read. Spooky and atmospheric I could feel the heat from the tunnels, sense the noise of the buzzing and almost smell the sickly like scent. There are some wonderfully energetic scenes of weird wasp like creatures evolving, some funny moments of teen life and emotional scenes of friendships.

The characters are brilliant, love the addition of Karim this time. He adds a certain style to the gang and is always prepared with a catchy line and hairspray!

Sequels can be hit and miss but this one lands the bulls eye!