This book demonstrates why cell phones, the internet, play stations and television have proved victorious in the battle for the hearts and minds of young people.

It’s actually quite a sweet story about a group of friends who band together to bring down an evil international organisation by means of pluck, ingenuity, and a modicum of adult assistance.

After just one lesson, young Ben can pilot an aeroplane, and with the aid of nothing more than a small scale world map, flies everyone from Scotland to Geneva. The Famous Five may have got away with this level of improbability but, unless the hero is Harry Potter, today’s youngsters expect better ( )