Feather Boy
Publisher: HarperCollins
Robert is having a tough time at school, being bullied by Nicker; he's also trying to deal with the break-up of his parents' marriage. He feels like it's just his luck to be landed with 'a spooky old bat' called Edith, when his class takes part in a project with the local old people's home. However, in attempting to solve the mystery of her son's death, he confronts both the bully and his own fears. The reader is drawn through this novel by some wonderfully moving moments of humour, tension and sadness.