This is a very short book which took me less than half an hour to read. Although it is recommended for readers between eight and twelve I think it would be more suitable for under eights. Having done a bit of investigation after I had finished it I have discovered that it was written especially with dyslexic or reluctant readers in mind. It is, I suppose, in the sci-fi genre. It’s about a time when people live in protective suits because they are frightened that they will be contaminated by any contact with another human being. The children do not go to school and live only virtual lives inside their protective suits.
A group of children rebel and meet secretly once a month to play a real game of football without their suits. One child, however, is excluded because everyone, including his twin sister hates him. Eventually he finds out what is going on and threatens to expose what the children are doing if they don’t let him join in. Cal, who seems to be the leader of the group, decides what to do.
This book did not appeal to me. I didn’t think that the opportunities for describing the sort of lives that people would live with this fear of touching others hanging over them were exploited enough. Science fiction should give endless opportunities to stretch the imagination to its limits, so I felt that the story was simplified to accommodate reluctant readers. I don’t think this is a good idea. Children who need fairly simple texts should be encouraged to develop their skills through stories that are really gripping. I remember only too well turgidly boring stories in reading schemes when I was learning to read as well as a number of brilliant books which, despite including easy to read text and being aimed at young readers, were unforgettable in the quality of their language. Brian Wildsmith, Anthony Brown, Julia Donaldson and Charles Keeping are masters of this. There were also lots of unanswered questions in Contact such as, how could humans live without touching another human at all; for example, how did they reproduce?
The other thing that made me uncomfortable was the fact that the story seemed to be based on hatred. I felt sorry for Jacob who was ostracised by the group. What had he done to make them all hate him so? Even though he is accepted in the end the feeling is that this was done out of fear rather than forgiveness. My recommendation to readers would be to concentrate on improving your reading skills with some of the brilliant books that are easy to read, until you can read one of Malorie Blackman’s books that are really worth reading. Boys don’t Cry is one of my favourites.
• Buy this book at the Guardian Bookshop
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