There is a kind of children's book which is rare, but which includes some of the very best literature for the young. The Silver Sword, Goodnight Mr Tom, The Butterfly Lion, The Railway Children and Kim all belong to a genre in which there is no magic, but a tremendous sense of what real children in adversity might achieve with courage, cleverness and luck. Eleanor Updale's Johnny Swanson belongs to this category, and it deserves the highest praise

This is a lovely story, full of fascinating and accurate period detail, social injustice and moral quandaries, that revels in a child's determination to play the unfair system to his advantage. Young fans of Updale's Montmorency series will find this equally entertaining

Eleanor Updale is an excellent storyteller, building up character, plot and excitement until the reader is compelled to stop everything else until the book is finished

Eleanor Updale's very funny Johnny Swanson introduces a great character . . . The story swings along, providing dastardly villains, inept policemen and a satisfying denouement

Johnny Swanson is a charmingly old fashioned - in the very best way - adventure novel. This is a great read, it zips along and illuminates a period of history that is usually forgotten

Super old-fashioned adventure story set in 1929, featuring murder, mayhem, scam adverts and medical malpractice. Thank heavens for the dollop of courage and tenacity. A truly fun read

Many twists and turns, much humour, lots of adventures and a good dollop of fascinating period detail . . . Altogether most engaging and entertaining: the sort of book that is blissfully easy to read without being mindless. Smashing fun

Like the best children's books, it's about children, not simplified or toned down for them

This book is distinguished among other features by the immensely convincing background detail of the period setting . . . The characterisation is exemplary, Johnny and his mother being convincing and winning protagonists. This is a remarkable book

Filled with action and suspense, this is a book you will not want to stop reading. A great plot, with an unguessable villain!

The tale rollicks along with suspense, reversal, and surprise . . . Along the way, the author gives us a finely drawn evocation of the drama the French lived through, as well as an enthralling account of how a remarkable car - designed by an Italian, engineered by the French - was born. A captivating book for young people of all ages.

My book-loving boy was immediately engrossed . . . Each chapter left him wanting to know what was coming next, and he read it cover to cover with great interest.