The Second Forever, by Colin Thompson

This was different. There was something evil in the darkness inside the wall. Something that was trying to entice them through the gap.
‘There’s something bad in there,’ said Peter. ‘Like it doesn’ belong to this world.’
‘Darkwood,’ they both said at the same time.

Five years ago Peter and his friend Festival destroyed the book called How to Live Forever. Since then they haven’t seen each other – Peter has returned to his life in the museum in his world, and Festival has returned to her own world where all the houses are books. But there’s a problem – Peter’s world is being crippled by drought, and Festival’s world is flooded. Slowly, they come to realise that their actions in destroying the book might be the cause of these new disasters.

When Festival reappears in Peter’s world they realise they have to work together to fix the problem. They must recreate the book to save the world – even if that means they are condemned to living forever. But with Darkwood determined to get the book for himself and destroy both worlds, and the twin disasters getting worse every day, time is against them.

The Second Forever is the exciting, magical sequel to How to Live Forever, coming eight years after the first. As such, young readers may be best served by seeking out the earlier book first. A front of book ‘catch-up’ however, means that the new title can be read on its own.

Thomspon’s fantasy world within a world, and the intriguing, sometimes odd-ball characters which populate the pages, make this an entertaining read suitable for primary aged readers.

The Second Forever

The Second Forever, by Colin Thompson
Random House, 2012
ISBN 978174166289

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