Nicholas Dane

When Nick's mother dies suddenly the fourteen-year-old is sent straight into a boys' home, where he finds institutional intimidation and violence keep order. After countless fights and punishments. Nick thinks life cant get any worse - but the professionally respected deputy head. Mr Creal, who has been grooming him with sweets and solace, has something much more sinister in mind. The scarring, shaming experience he suffers at the hands of Mr Creal can never quite be suppressed, and when the old hatred surfaces, bloody murder and revenge lead to an unforgettable climax. Carnegie-prize winning author, Melvin Burgess, has written a long-awaited new story. His most substantial book to date, this compelling story of a teenager caught in a corrupt 1980s care home is a powerful study of a particularly highly charged and distressing subject. Handled with great sensitivity and engrossing narrative drive, it is an important addition to the understanding of how teenage lives can go so wrong.