The Tin Snail

Charming * Guardian *
I honestly never thought I’d find myself reading, let alone taken with, a book about the making of a French motor car but The Tin Snail by Cameron McAllister is a thoroughly engaging read. It manages to turn the struggle to invent the Citroen as the first people’s car, and then to keep its design from the German invaders, into a story of the Resistance, which is saying something. Plus it has a human element: the plot revolves round the designer’s young son, and his wan hopes that the car will help his parents stay together. Illustrated with panache in pen and ink by Sam Usher. * Spectator *
Feel-good, funny, romping, filmic adventure * Sunday Times *
A fresh and madcap novel . . . Half-silly, half-serious and full of human interest, The Tin Snail brings 10- to 14-year-olds into endearing and unusual company. * Wall Street Journal *
McAllister effectively turns what could have been a humdrum story about car design into a real page-turner and a daring tale . . . A feel-good story about the French Resistance that might very well inspire more than a few designers and engineers. * School Library Journal *