Anfangs war ich noch recht skeptisch bei diesem Buch, vor allem weil mir einige Situationen und Figuren eher suspekt waren. Allerdings sind mir diese im Laufe der Geschichte allesamt ans Herz gewachsen.
Der Spannungsaufbau ist wunderbar gelungen und zieht sich bis zum Ende hin durch, wird aber von einem gelungenen Ende abgerundet.
Das Thema der Geschichte ist ja doch sehr aktuell, sowohl die ausgebrochenen Seuche als auch die neue Computer Technik, die Anfangs mehr wie eine Spinnerei scheint, zum Ende hin aber immer nützlicher wird.
Die komplizierten technischen Vorgänge kann man beim Lesen super verstehen, da sie sehr leicht erklärt sind, was definitiv nicht ganz einfach zu schreiben ist.
Den Titel finde ich leider etwas irreführend, dabei habe ich an einen ganz anderen Verlauf der Geschichte gedacht, auch wenn er im Nachhinein betrachtet doch Sinn Macht.
Das Cover ist sehr gut gelungen und hat mich direkt angesprochen, also alles in allem war ich wirklich begeistert von dem Buch und kann es nur empfehlen.

I originally gave this 3 but have upgraded to 4 as I must have been grumpy when I did the review! On reflection, as a children’s book, it has everything I would have wanted - Adventure, science, strong female characters and (most importantly) DOGS!

This was my final book of 2018, and this sci-fi adventure was a lovely way to finish off my reading year. It`s the story of a dog-obsessed girl named Georgie and what happens when every dog in the world- including her beloved pet Mr Mash- become infected with a deadly virus, and she must enter the future via a virtual reality machine created by an elderly eccentric scientist she has become involved with recently in order to save not just Mr Mash, but everyone in the world. Georgie is a fabulous character with a unique and funny voice, and I liked her a lot for many reasons, but most of all for her unswerving love for dogs and desperation to protect them throughout. Her relationship with Mr Mash is incredibly touching, and I also loved the loyal friendship she shared with Ramsay, as well as finding her rather complicated with Jess super interesting. Other than the characters, I thought the book was really well paced and I often found myself saying just one more chapter every time I picked it up. Also, I really appreciated how well the science elements were explained, as I often struggle to understand books that feature it heavily, and though the concept of this was pretty difficult to wrap my head around, I actually managed to grasp it and could follow everything that was going on. There are some incredibly sad moments and I was very worried while I was reading, but there is also a lot of comic relief and some lovely relationships between the characters to add some lightness. This is a really quirky and enjoyable read, and I`m looking forward to picking up some of Ross Welford`s back catalogue now. 4.5/5

This was a fun read about a girl, Georgie, who helps out at a dog shelter. One day, whilst walking the dogs, she and her best friend, Ramzy, meet a strange and eccentric old lady who convinces them to help her with a scientific experiment. The experiement is a virtual-reality 3D version of the future! Back in the present, a deadly infectious disease is spreading through the dog community and there are concerns about its threat to humans. Georgie might be the only person able to save the dogs she loves and with them, the world.

This story was very cleverly worked out and as always, I loved the little details included by the author that later in the plot came to be very important. I enjoyed Georgie as a narrator and thought her friendship with Ramzy was very genuine and well-written.

Some things that I did not like about the book were that I found some parts uncomfortable to read as they felt a bit fat phobic. The first description we got of the 'mean girl' character was about her size and weight. Then later, Ramzy's aunt who's main purpose in the story seems to be being strict and telling him off has her large size described as she exits a vehicle. I also I felt that some of the representations were quite stereotypical (Ramzy's aunt and the shopkeeper who is actually named Sanjeev, but is constantly referred to by the narrator as 'Norman Twokids')


Content:
Dead mother before book starts but her death is referenced several times. A difficult relationship with the step-mum. This is resolved well. A main plot theme is the pandemic and its threat and some animals do die.

This is why I love Ross Welford!

Georgie and her friend Ramzy meet a scientist by the name of Dr Pretorius. They become the test subjects of her VR headset that predicts the future. But when a terrible disease threatens dogs and people all around the world, Georgie and her dog Mr. Mash, along with Ramzy and the mysterious Dr Pretorius have to launch a plan to save everything.

With the virus, this book is very relevant to read. It is engaging for the reader and hard to put down! I can't wait for the next book of his to come out. :)

Would I recommend? You bet!