Avalanche - Simon Fox

 

Tom is spending the holidays at a luxury ski chalet whilst his mum is working security for Eric, the head of a biotech firm.  Spending his days learning to ski isn't as fun as he thought it might be and he longs to be home.  However, things take a dramatic turn when hijackers turn up determined to get their hands on technology Eric has been developing.  When the hijackers trigger an avalanche, the chalet and everybody in it become cut-off from the rest of the world and any chance of getting help.  The only chance they have is the fact that the hijackers are unaware of Tom's presence so it's up to him to save the day.

Simon Fox's previous books (you can read my reviews here: Running Out Of Time; Dead Lock) are both popular in school and when I began reading Avalanche, there was a lot of interest from children, and who can blame them?

Avalanche starts with a very fed up Tom: he is away from home and his friends; he's at ski school but isn't enjoying it and he feels it's going to be a long holiday.  His mum's job means that she doesn't want to leave her post so Tom has no choice but to get to know Eric's daughter Emily who is far from friendly.  The two are just returning to the chalet when the hijackers descend.  Their gunshots are what trigger the avalanche which causes utter chaos and so begins an incredible roller-coaster of an adrenaline rush as Tom and Emily fight first to save themselves and then to save their parents.  As you would imagine, Tom and Emily face dangers at every turn, but they also need to learn to get along with each other, as well as navigating Emily's type 1 diabetes which adds an extra level.  The chalet setting and the fact that the avalanche has cut them off, adds to the tension and creates a real sense of claustrophobia (more so when Tom and Emily are trapped under the snow). 

Showing the lengths people will go to for both good and bad, Avalanche shows us that friendship can form at any time.  With danger at every turn, this is a book that will get your heart racing and you won't want to put down.