ou race to the fire alarm. The sign says: ‘In the event of fire, break glass and press button.’ You draw back your fist and punch the glass hard. Ouch! Unfortunately the glass hasn’t broken, but your hand probably has. You look around and see a good weapon: a library book that’s lying on the floor nearby. You pick it up and look at it. It’s called Tomorrow, When the War Began and it doesn’t look too bad. You think, Gee, I might read this.

There’s a photo of the author on the back jacket flap. He’s not going to win any beauty competitions but, hey, looks aren’t everything: it still might be a good book.