Sam knows perfectly well that his Mum is dead and he knows exactly what that means. But why is there a contact number in the kitchen and what harm can trying to reach her do?
A tender story about facing up to the realities of death.
This is the January selection for the Oxford University Press Centenary promotion
Before mum died, she told Sam that she would always be with him. On the day of mum's cremation, his sister Becky receives a text from a friend: 'Thinking about you. X'. Sam becomes convinced that the text is from their mother. Imagine if he could text back! When he finds mum's mobile phone and a 'contact number' in her handwriting, Sam his heart pounding, sends a message. It is received by a kind but lonely lorry driver, Tony. Unthinkingly, Tony responds. Before he knows it, the boy is texting regularly, and Tony is replying. Sam thinks he's in contact with mum and forms a plan. He's going to find her and bring her back for Christmas. By the time Tony realises what's happening, he can't bring himself to tell Sam that it's not his mother on the end of the phone, but neither can he just stop texting or, worse, let the child turn up. He also realises that he's come to rely on Sam's messages because they make him feel less alone. As Sam sets out on his journey, Tony must try to find him. But how will he explain to this little boy that his mother is really dead? And how will Sam cope when confronted with the truth?
Rowland Molonyleft his Gravesend Secondary Modern school at the age of 15 and joined the RAF. Later in life he spent several years in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, where he married and had two daughters. His love for poetry and the teaching of English Literature led to him writing his first book for children, After the Death of Alice Bennett.He now lives in Devon.
