"The Convicts" by Iain Lawrence tells the story of a young boy named Sam who is sent to a remote Australian penal colony in the 1800s. As he navigates the harsh realities of life among convicts, Sam forms unexpected friendships and learns about courage, resilience, and the complexities of justice. The novel explores themes of survival and morality in a brutal world, highlighting the transformative power of hope and the bonds that can form even in the darkest circumstances. Through Sam's eyes, readers witness the struggle for redemption and the quest for a better life. [Generated by language model - please report any problems].

This book is the winner of numerous awards

This book features in the following series: Curse Of the Jolly Stone Trilogy, Thorndike Literacy Bridge .

This book is aimed at children at US 7th grade+.

This book has been graded for interest at 12 years.

There are 198 pages in this book.

It is aimed at Young Adult readers. The term Young Adult (YA) is used for books which have the following characteristics: (1) aimed at ages 12-18 years, US grades 7-12, UK school years 8-15, (2) around 50-75k words long, (3) main character is aged 12-18 years, (4) topics include self-reflection, internal conflict vs external, analyzing life and its meaning, (5) point of view is often in the first person, and (6) swearing, violence, romance and sexuality are allowed.

This book was published in 2006 by Random House USA Inc .

Iain Lawrence was born in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, the second of four children. He studied journalism in Vancouver and went to work for the Prince Rupert Daily News. Eighteen years later, he went to work on a fish farm before he started writing full-time. He learned to sail at the age of nine, and as he grew up, boating became a huge part of his life. He lives with his long-time partner Kristin and dog Skipper on a remote radio-transmission site on an island off Prince Rupert, British Columbia.