Charming

I honestly never thought I’d find myself reading, let alone taken with, a book about the making of a French motor car but The Tin Snail by Cameron McAllister is a thoroughly engaging read. It manages to turn the struggle to invent the Citroen as the first people’s car, and then to keep its design from the German invaders, into a story of the Resistance, which is saying something. Plus it has a human element: the plot revolves round the designer’s young son, and his wan hopes that the car will help his parents stay together. Illustrated with panache in pen and ink by Sam Usher.

Feel-good, funny, romping, filmic adventure

A fresh and madcap novel . . . Half-silly, half-serious and full of human interest, The Tin Snail brings 10- to 14-year-olds into endearing and unusual company.

McAllister effectively turns what could have been a humdrum story about car design into a real page-turner and a daring tale . . . A feel-good story about the French Resistance that might very well inspire more than a few designers and engineers.

A fantastic family read; this is a story with a big heart based on an amazing idea . . . This is easily one of my favourite books so far this year - a brilliant and magical read that will stay with me until the day that I die. It is a great debut story with bags of drive and vroom.

Refreshingly different and very engaging . . . There is so much to enjoy in this book

A delightful book

Unusual and delightful

I loved this delightful novel. It's intended for middle grade readers but people of all ages will love it.

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.

A poignant and heart-warming story about life and all the hardships and troubles that this can bring...A fascinating and brilliant read...Another blinding story from Andy Mulligan, which delivers the unexpected with superb imaginative qualities.

A complex and absorbing novel with vivid characters

Gripping dark comedy . . . [A] clever portrayal of a boy on the cusp of adolescence struggling to reconcile opposing impulses within himself