Rocking Horse Droppings by Paul McDermott is an interesting tale of a group of friends at the start of their summer holidays in 1998 Liverpool. Whilst playing cricket in Springfield Park things take a shocking turn when they go to retrieve their missing ball. The ball is lost nearby on a railway line that no longer runs, and after discovering a damaged rocking horse with money hidden inside it, they decide to explore more of their surroundings, that includes a tunnel. After they emerge through the tunnel, they witness a black locomotive rushing through, and their story becomes one of time travel, as they are somehow still in Liverpool. Only now it’s 1941 and it’s the middle of World War Two.
The story is only 118 pages long, so short and sweet. It is definitely a quick read and Paul’s writing style propels the story along at a speedy pace, so it’s impossible to lag or feel tiring. The story is also split with the robbers who originally hid the money inside the broken rocking horse searching for the boys which encouraged me further to want to see how the events played out and how the story ended. I enjoyed how the boys interacted with the characters they met in war torn England, it was believable and compelling and aided in moving the plot along. The book is edited skillfully, was an exciting joy to read and provided a full circle, satisfying ending.
I award 5 stars