Angus Book Award 2012
Pastworld by Ian Beck
Pastworld is the most realistic theme park ever created. Visitors are transported to the smells, sights and sounds of Victorian London. Eve believes that Pastworld is reality until she is forced to become a runaway. She meets Caleb a tourist or Gawker from 2048 who unwittingly becomes a suspect in a murder case. The reader is swept along to discover the terrifying connection between Eve and Caleb and how they feature in the twisted plans of the sinister Fantom. The fog and grit, cruelty and sometimes gruesome nature of the Victorian era are created in this fast paced and gripping novel.
Ian Beck is a children’s illustrator and author. He has designed album covers for the music industry for artists such as Elton John as well as numerous advertising campaigns for magazines. After his first child was born, he started to illustrate books for young children. With more than fifty children’s books to his credit, Ian’s work ranges from picture books for the very young to fiction and older picture books. Ian also illustrated the programme for the stage production of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy, providing hand-lettering, maps and drawings. Ian lives in Richmond, Surrey with his wife and three children.