Book review

Facing the Demon Headmaster by Gillian Cross (2002)

He just doesn't give up, does he? The Demon Headmaster is back again, still pursuing his evil plans for world domination.

Of course, he's got SPLAT to contend with - The Society for the Protection of our Lives Against Them - that's Dinah, and her two brothers, Lloyd and Harvey, and friends Ian, Mandy and Ingrid.

They were her best friends in the world and the six of them had been through a lot together. Battling against the sinister Headmaster and his plans to control the world had led them into all kinds of problems and dangers and they knew they could rely on one another.
They were SPLAT and they stuck together.

Now, of course, if you are up against an opponent of immense cunning and astonishing hypnotic powers, the one thing you really must do is stick with your friends. And here the Headmaster has the tactical advantage of surprise over Dinah and her team. He also knows a lot about Dinah from their previous encounters. Dinah has a weakness. She is adopted, and although she loves her Mum and Dad and Lloyd and Harvey deeply, there will always be an empty space in her heart.

Want to know how the Demon Headmaster manages to separate Dinah from the rest of SPLAT? Want to know if the Headmaster's devilish plan succeeds this time? Well, I'm not going to tell you. You'll have to read the book. I think you'll enjoy it!

What can I read next?

If you do enjoy reading about the Demon Headmaster, he has had several encounters with Dinah and SPLAT:

  • The Demon Headmaster
  • The Prime Minister's Brain
  • The Revenge of the Demon Headmaster
  • The Demon Headmaster Strikes Again
  • The Demon Headmaster Takes Over
  • Facing the Demon Headmaster

If you sympathise with Dinah's position, not being able to remember her real mother and father, you might enjoy this book by Jacqueline Wilson:

Anne Fine has written so many excellent books about the problems of ordinary everyday life that it is difficult to pick a particular one out. She writes for a range of ages, so make sure that the book you pick is right for you. If you enjoy the Demon Headmaster series I think you might like to look at this one:

One final suggestion - if you fancy a ghost story you could look at this one by Melvin Burgess:

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