Author: David Astle
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
About the book: This book is about the English language. It teaches you how to understand and solve cryptic crosswords, and how to think outside the square when it comes to English.
What I thought: I really loved this book because I didn’t really understand cryptic crosswords until I read it. It taught me more about lots of interesting things like palindromes – sentences which read the same backwards and forwards (eg, poor Dan is in a droop) – and how to look at cryptic crossword clues in a different way.
This book is easy to understand and is a funny, entertaining and educational read. The little illustrations throughout make it feel like it’s not too serious, and there are lots of opportunities in the second half of the book to practise what you’ve learnt, with puzzles and mini-puzzles to try.
I would recommend it for ages 10+, as younger children may not understand some of the more complicated things in the book.