Interest Age Teen Reading Age 8 | In a nutshell: thought-provoking examination of an important social issue | Robert Swindells is a skilful storyteller and expert at writing about issues that matter to young people. 14 year old Sam is sure he’s a marked man and that sometime soon the local gang will get him. He wants a knife to protect him and when he finally gets his hands on one it makes him feel 10 feet tall. But how long can the knife keep him safe? A candid conversation with the real owner of the weapon makes Sam see things differently. Taut and tightly plotted this short novel provides readers with lots to think about. ~Andrea Reece
Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant and dyslexic readers aged 12+
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You're only someone at Sam's school if you carry a knife, or so Sam thinks. He's convinced a blade is the only way to keep the Sharks off his back. But Sam is about to find out the hard way that a knife is never a good idea.
Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant and dyslexic readers aged 12+
“Plots which grip the reader from the opening paragraph” – The Sunday Times
Author
About Robert Swindells
Robert E. "Bob" Swindells (born 20 March 1939) is an author of children's and young adult literature. Born in Bradford, the first of five children, Swindells worked for a local newspaper after leaving school aged 15. He served with the Royal Air Force and held various jobs before training as a teacher. His first novel, When Darkness Comes (1973), was written as his thesis while in training. Swindells combined writing with teaching until 1980 when he took up writing full-time. He first won the Children's Book Award with Brother in the Land (1985), a novel set in a post-apocalyptic world. Swindells was a supporter of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and is quoted as saying that the work "... came out of my own anger and frustration ... you can't kill selectively with nuclear weapons, you wipe out millions of people ..." Swindells also won the award for Room 13 (1990), Nightmare Stairs (Short novel, 1998) and Blitzed (Younger readers, 2003). His young adult novel Stone Cold (1993), which dealt with homelessness, won the Carnegie Medal in 1994. Swindells is married, lives in Yorkshire and has two daughters and three grandchildren.
