Overview
A boy finds a one-word message -- HELP! -- sealed in a tin can and is sucked into a thrillingly gruesome adventure.Fergal Bamfield doesn't collect stamps like normal kids. He's an oddball (his mother prefers to call him "clever"), and his collection is as strange as everything else about him. Fergal Bamfield collects tin cans.
Then one day he finds a can without a label. What could be in it? Peaches, soup, perhaps revolting spam? But instead it's something gruesome: a human finger. Then Fergal finds another can, this time containing a one-word message, HELP! Now Fergal and his friend Charlotte are knee-deep in an adventure, and they're about to learn something horrible: Everybody has an expiration date.
Editorials
Children's Literature -
Have you ever had a collection? If you have, you will understand why Fergal decides to collect something. The trouble is he decides to collect something most people do not even want—cans without labels. He enjoys the mystery of not knowing what is inside the can—lima beans, peaches, meat, or something else. He really enjoys his collection—until one day he decides to open up one of the more suspicious cans. The contents inside the can send Fergal and his friend Charlotte (who also happens to be a can collector) on a hunt they will never forget. This mysterious book is suspenseful and captivating and readers will enjoy solving this interesting mystery along with Fergal and Charlotte. The crime involves murder, but in a very unrealistic way, so it is not a typical mystery book. An appropriate choice for the classroom, home, and school libraries. Reviewer: Nicole PetersonVOYA -
Fergal Banfield collects cans. Not the every day can, mind you, but the ones found in the supermarket's bargain basket of cans whose labels have fallen off. His parents, not sure what to make of this obsession, believe it is because he is "clever." His peers would most likely describe him as weird. As Fergal's collection grows larger, his parents give him an ultimatum, telling him that he must open one of the cans he has before buying any more. Fergal agrees, but when he finds a pierced earring in the can, he is spurred on to purchase another. The content of this second can is downright creepy, a human finger. When next at the market, Fergal meets Charlotte, who shares his fascination for cans. They quickly become friends and decide to meet and discuss the contents of their cans. Charlotte has had the same experience as Fergal, with the contents of her cans revealing different body parts as well as more jewelry. And so, the mystery of the cans begins. Whose body parts are in these cans and where are they coming from? The author writes a novel whose characters might be simple and a bit underdeveloped and whose premise is quite gruesome, but the plot is entertaining, enough to compel this reviewer to read on to its conclusion. Middle school boys and girls would enjoy this likeable pair of detectives and probably look forward to another adventure in the future. Reviewer: Janet SchererSchool Library Journal
Gr 4-7- A hilariously gruesome comedy thriller set in England. Fergal Bamfield's an oddball kid who collects cans without labels from the reduced-price bins of supermarkets and spends a lot of time puzzling over their contents. Compelled to open a particularly lightweight can with an interesting rattle, Fergal finds a gold earring stud. In another, he finds a human finger. When he meets fellow collector Charlotte, he learns that she has opened a tin that contained a human ear and another with a ring-that perfectly fits the finger he found. When they find a slip of paper with "help" on it, they are sure someone needs rescuing. While Charlotte is on vacation, Fergal figures out the factory location from numbers on the can; is caught trespassing there; and becomes enslaved, along with other kids, filling and sealing cans of pet food all day. With a sixth sense that Charlotte will find it, he writes a note about his imprisonment and slips it into an empty tin. Will she find him? Shearer taps into the repulsive yet seductive appeal of urban legends. The pair, with all their eccentricities, will be reassuring characters to children who feel different. Quirky and original, funky and totally gross, this fast-paced novel blends several genres: crime, horror, mystery, and fantasy. Its black humor, balanced by a serious look at forced child labor, will keep readers hooked from the beginning.-Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School, South Portland, ME
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