I first read Space Demons when I was around ten years old and loved it so much that as an adult I still recommend it to young readers. So as Space Demons celebrates 25 years in print, I decided to re-read it to see if it still lives up to my memories.

Space Demons is the story of four kids who are all individually working through different problems in their lives. Andrew and Ben have a friendship based on Ben doing whatever Andrew says, while Andrew is dealing with his parents’ constant arguing. Elaine is new to school and is having trouble fitting in, as well as dealing with her mum leaving. Mario is the punk of the school: moody, violent, and just wanting to run away from everything. While these kids originally have little to do with each other, it all changes when Andrew’s dad brings home a new computer game from Japan and Ben gets transported into it.

Space Demons is a compelling story that has not aged over time – except for there still being $2 notes and the consoles are still Ataris (can you say ‘rad’?!). Readers aged ten and over will enjoy the computer battles, plus the depth in the characters’ personalities.

Katherine Dretzke is a childrens’ book specialist at Readings Hawthorn.