BILLED as the next Harry Potter, and commanding a six-figure advance, Inven-ting Elliot certainly has a lot to live up to.

Graham Gardner's novel about a youngster confronting bullying at school and unhappiness at home is a world away from Hog-warts.

Taking Orwell's 1984 as a text around which to build, it is darker and much more harrowing than the supernatural frolics that have earned JK Rowling such fame and fortune.

In fact, the relentless gloom and fear pervading the novel gives the reader very little respite, and reading it certainly does not make for cheerful escapism.

However, it is well-written. Its confident, terse sentences are simple and clear but not patronising, and Gardner can quickly evoke atmosphere.

His descriptions of scenes, sights, smells and emotions are so vivid they almost give the impression he himself is still at school.

Some scenes do not ring true when read from an adult perspective, but to concentrate on them would be to give a churlish and misleading impression of a very accomplished book.

The subject matter is one that affects every pupil in every school in some way or other. Gardner cleverly manipulates the plot to give different perspectives and deals with many challenging issues in a subtle and sympathetic way.

Its striking originality and refusal to dole out straightforward, black-and-white morality in the manner often adopted by children's authors is refreshing.

Whether these attributes will earn the mass following its publishers are hoping for remains to be seen.

Jon di Paolo