Children's Book review

A Nest Of Vipers

By Catherine Johnson

Published by Corgi

We meet Cato Hopkins in Newgate Prison in September 1712, on the morning of the day he is due to be hanged for fraud.

Cato is a boy criminal, part of Mother Hopkins' adopted family, and as he relates the story of how he came to be on the verge of paying for his sins with his life, Cato takes us on a journey through the underworld of London in the eighteenth century.

Poverty, slavery and social injustice are just a few of the issues to which Cato exposes us, but this is not a sad story.

On the contrary, a lively writing style, plenty of humour and the bad guys getting their comeuppance make this a cracking read for both boys and girls. 

Reading age: 10+
Interest level: 9+