Progress, parenthood, friendship and every day life are all given the Morris Gleitzman once over in this witty and insightful little book as he takes a group of ordinary children and turns them into something special for a few days. By injecting a hefty dose of laughter and intelligence into a story about the actions of adults in the past and the problems they created for current and future generations, Gleitzman has in Second Childhood come up trumps and again proves himself to be one of today's most exciting children's writers. --Susan Harrison