Fugitive

Elements of a thriller, school story and family drama all combine in this lively account of Jack's reunion with the father whom he believed to be long dead. Jack and his mother, Big Rose, enjoy a close but bantering relationship in which neither gives the other an inch. Life is not exactly peaceful for Jack - Joe Grady and Lizzie Ferrier make sure that their taunts don't allow Jack to relax too much at school - but he can cope with this, and sometimes give as good as he gets. It is his mother's mysterious visits to the police station and warnings to beware of a man who has viciously attacked an old age pensioner which bother Jack. When he discovers that his father is alive and is hiding in their cellar having escaped from prison, he starts to make connections. Short chapters ending on a tense note, Jack's engaging character and plenty of humour will keep readers turning the pages - not only to discover the mystery of the man in Big Rose's cellar, but also to see if Jack does indeed don a frock for a part in the school musical, Calamity Jane.