'Our only current writer who can induce such terror as the Grimm brothers did, and some of the Grimm characters are among the ingredients in this hellbrew of the return of the Black Death.' - "Times Literary Supplement"
'A splendid example of a gripping narrative that also connects to a real intelligence . . . has an] original vitality.' - David Hare, "Spectator"
'A violently exciting modern suspense story.' - "St. Louis Post-Dispatch"
'Best of recent intrigue-thrillers' - Anthony Boucher, "New York Times"
When nine-year-old Billy Fenwick goes missing on a train journey...

To say that children matter in Steven Spielberg's films is an understatement. Think of the possessed Stevie in Something Evil (TV), Baby Langston in The Sugarland Express, the alien-abducted Barry in Close Encounters, Elliott and his unearthly alter-ego in E.T, the war-damaged Jim in Empire of the Sun, the little girl in the red coat in Schindler's List, the mecha child in A.I., the kidnapped boy in Minority Report, and the eponymous boy hero of The Adventures of Tintin. (There are many other instances across his oeuvre). Contradicting his reputation as a purveyor of 'popcorn' entertainment,...

This collection, representing the work of scholars from a range of theoretical frameworks and disciplines, examines aspects of the preoccupation with children and childhood in Steven Spielberg's films. It includes essays on such films as Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Empire of the Sun, Hook, Jurassic Park, and more.