Red eye by Susan Gates

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Usborne, 2007
(11+) Alfred Hitchcock's, The Birds (1963) is instantly recalled while reading this very frightening book about a group of gulls organized by a much larger than average gull, called Red Eye. They take over the small holiday town of McKenzie Point, until one boy, Danny, escapes, and goes to find help. He returns with two people of his age, Meriel, who can insinuate the minds of animals, and Ellis, an expert tracker.  Together the group evades capture and attempts to foil the efforts of the highly controlled gulls and creepers, the human slaves.

But on the way in this fast paced thriller, the birds cause havoc, diving upon people, raking their beaks across the backs of their necks and killing them. Red Eye finds he has power over Meriel and so makes her think she can fly, with almost disastrous results. It is a book with wide appeal for those who love the themes of horror, adventure and survival.  You'll never look at a cluster of seagulls the same way again.  This is the first in a new series called Animal Investigations, and has the first chapter of the second in the series at the end of the book. (11+)
Fran Knight

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