Mikey is frightened of open spaces and would much rather curl up in his room and avoid the world outside. So going to a noisy, public place is a big deal - but with his sister Meggie by his side, it should be safe. But things go badly wrong when he encounters a gang and witnesses something terrible. To make matters worse, they know where he lives...This time, there's no hiding place for Mikey.
Jess and her parents have brought Grandpa back to his boyhood home by the river. Although the old man has recently suffered a heart attack, he insists on this journey. He wants to finish one last painting before he dies. Jess is training to be a long distance swimmer, so when Grandpa is napping, she practices in the river. But soon she starts seeing a presence there--one that is also affecting Grandpa's painting. Who is the boyish figure Jess sees in the river? What does he want her to do? Tim Bowler grew up in a house overlooking an estuary of the Thames. A scholar, translator and writer, he wanted to create a book that would use the river as a spiritual metaphor for the course of life and death. River Boy is a gripping story as well as an invitation to discuss the ways people cope with dying. It was awarded the Carnegie Medal in 1998.
