Number 10

Number 10

By Author / Illustrator

C.J. Daugherty

Genre

Suspense & Thrillers

Age range(s)

11+

Publisher

Moonflower Publishing

ISBN

9781838237417

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

03-11-2020

Synopsis

Eight months ago, Gray Langtry's mother became prime minister... now someone wants her deadGray's life has been in turmoil ever since her mother was chosen to lead the country. First, they had to leave their home and move into the prime minister's official residence at Number 10 Downing Street. Now, everywhere she goes, she must be accompanied by bodyguards. Worst of all, the media won't leave her alone - she's in every tabloid, and her behaviour, her appearance, the length of her skirts... everything is judged. The scars from her parents' divorce and her mother's abrupt remarriage are still raw. She doesn't like her stepfather. She doesn't like this life.When she's photographed drunk outside a London nightclub, it makes headlines. Gray is grounded and given new bodyguards - younger, cooler, and harder to fool than the last batch. It's Julia, the new bodyguard, who tells her that a new terrorist organisation issued a threat, and the threat is credible. They say they're going to kill her mother and Gray. When Gray tries to find out more though, no one will tell her. One of the few people who understands what's happening is Jake McIntyre - the son of her mother's political enemy. But can she trust him?Late one night, while sneaking through dark government halls, she overhears a terrifying conversation. The situation is much worse than even her mother's security team suspects. But will anyone believe the prime minister's wild child daughter? Afraid for herself, her mother, and her country, Gray is determined to find proof. But she must move fast.The clock is ticking.

Reviews

Abbi

Gray Langtry longs to be a normal teenager. However, that is pretty impossible when your Mum is the Prime Minister, and home is Number 10 Downing Street. The book starts with Gray at a party: she has lied to her mum about where she is. Leaving the party, she is pursued by paparazzi, and has to be rescued by her bodyguards. Next morning a less than flattering picture of her is all over the internet. This publicity can only mean one thing for Gray; she is grounded.

Being grounded is not much fun, especially when your Mum is the Prime Minister, and works all hours. Gray is bored, so she goes exploring in the tunnels under Westminster. There she hears a plot to hurt her Mum. However, she's not known for telling the truth, and she has no proof. There is also an added complication - the handsome son of the leader of the opposition, but is he friend or foe? Who can Gray trust? Who is plotting to kill her Mum? And can she and her friends stop the killer before it's too late?

I absolutely loved this thriller. The central character, Gray, is very believable. Desperate to do normal things but trapped inside the very adult world of politics, where people try to protect her from the realities and dangers that she has to face every day.

The tension ramps up as the story progresses and, as a reader, you began to wonder which characters Gray should be trusting, and who is behind the plot to assassinate her Mum. It is also really interesting to see the behind the scenes of the seemingly glamourous life of a politician, and to imagine what life is like for their families. The book seems set up for a sequel, and I cannot wait to find out what adventures Gray gets into next.

365 pages / Ages 12+ / Reviewed by Abbi McInnes, school librarian

Suggested Reading Age 11+

 

Other titles