A gripping school terror siege

⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑  Rosamund Lupton's Three Hours is a hard-hitting, too close to reality, story of terrorists holding a British school hostage after shooting the headmaster. I was immediately sucked into the drama from page one. The pull of the writing, the panic, fear and bravery of the students, teachers and parents is hypnotic. This novel covers the three hour siege from the perspective of the students locked down in various locations on campus as well as the thoughts and actions of teachers and police working to extricate the children in their care from the immediate danger. Nature is not on their side, sadly, as a snow storm adds a level of difficulty to the evacuation attempts.

I was gripped by this novel. It tackles many of today's topical issues - terrorism and racism most especially - with tremendous wisdom and heart. Students, sixth formers who are two minutes from childhood themselves, display acts of courage in the face of terror in pride-inducing ways. Three Hours is a rare gem that shines light on the wonder of human capability and how we can rise to levels of bravery previously not imagined.