The Last Minute

This is a very clever and compelling piece of writing.

Marilyn Brocklehurst, The Bookseller

A real achievement ... I found this so compelling that I read this book in one sitting.

Clare Poole, The Bookseller

I defy anyone to put this book down before you’ve got to the end. I really mean that.

Ann Giles, Bookwitch

This is high concept stuff... It’s a simply brilliant idea and it’s perfectly executed: humorously, movingly, excitingly and without any surplus detail or description.

Adele Geras, Awfully Big Reviews

One of the things I love about the children's author Eleanor Updale is that she's impossible to pigeonhole. And now we have The Last Minute, a book utterly unlike its predecessors. This is powerful stuff. What on earth will Eleanor Updale come up with next?

Philip Ardagh, Guardian

The Last Minute shows a realistic cross-section of life in Britain today, and most of us will recognise ourselves in one or two of these people. I won’t call them characters. They were always people. A little reminiscent of Under Milk Wood in the way the story darts between all of them, except faster.

Bookwitch

It’s a wonderfully exhilarating book and not like anything else. I salute a truly adventurous writer.

Adele Geras, Awfully Big Reviews

It begins at the end, with the unconfirmed reports of an explosion – or explosions – in an ordinary British town. And so the countdown begins. Chapter by chapter, we edge closer tot he tragedy. The updates become shorter and more urgent until we're seconds away from disaster. This is powerful stuff.

Philip Ardagh, Guardian

Eleanor Update is known for originality, and this compelling new work is surely unique

Linda Newbery, Armadillo Magazine

The Last Minute is not like anything you will have read before, for its concept is quite unique. Eleanor Updale demonstrates a tour de force in writing with this tale... It is hard to imagine how difficult it must be to write such a book, as the elaborateness of the plot is quite exceptional.

Library Mice

A brilliant book for many reasons: the first being that it was really well written, the writing wasn't boring or slow and each character had a different background story and encountered one another so that there were no unnecessary and irrelevant people.

Tjala, Children's Books - The Guardian

Her control of the unfolding story is superb (we know from a live news report at the start that there has been an explosion) and this highly original, absorbing book showcases the skillful versatility of the author of Johnny Swanson and the Montmorency series.

Sally Morris, Daily Mail

An extraordinary book that covers just one minute of many people's lives which will all intertwine and end in a catastrophic disaster...This is another exceptional book that stands out from the crowd with its individuality and brilliance and should not be missed!

Askews & Holt Library Services - Children's Newletter

I thought this book was unique...I would definitely recommend it to anyone who would like to try a different type of book...10/10!

Children's Books - The Guardian

This is, simply put, one of the most incredible books I've ever read.

Carly Bennett, Writing from the Tub

Greatly executed...you can have your kids entertained for hours with this book

Jasper de Joode, Fantasy Book Review

This is an outstanding novel for mature readers of any age and adds lustre to Updale’s established brilliance.

Keith Gray, The Scotsman