Oh I do hope no one will think this is science fiction: Helen Dunmore, Fatal Errors London: Corgi Yearling, 1996.

Nicky's dad has died and she is living with his old friends, Bella and Virgil. Bella and Virgil own a fairground ride, Space Ranger, which gives the impression of a journey into outer-space. Or does it?

The plot is a farrago in which a rival family tries to sabotage the ride. It's interest for us is that when Nicky and her friend Steve are trapped on the ride, there are very strong implications that the ride is more than that. They indeed be in space.

But it is all left ambiguous, and at the end it becomes irrelevant because Bella and Virgil decide to close the ride and replace it with something more spectacular.

A very good book in terms of the portrayal of Nicky and Steve (highly recommended in fact) but Dunmore seems to balk at the idea of having produced sf.

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ps. The third ZouZou Corder has just come out. I can't face reading it. I loved the first but was very disappointed in the second. And I also have another hundred books in the back room waiting for my attention. If any of you read it and want to review it, I'll publish it as a guest blog.