Abandoned by their uncle and aunt, Kevin and Sandra run away to Gumble's Yard, a deserted row of cottages on the canal bank. But the cottages are not as empty as they thought. Strange people come and go, mysterious boxes keep arriving, and the children soon find themselves caught up in a dangerous chain of events. This book was unique when it was first published and over the years has come to be recognized as one of the ground-breaking books of the millennium. John Rowe Townsend is a significant author, without whom writers such as Robert Cormier and Judy Blume might not have been recognized. This gripping story has stood the test of time in the way the children are left alone to become completely self-reliant. John Rowe Townsend lives in Cambridge.

 

 

This book features in the following series: Oxford Childrens Modern Classics, Unicorn, Unicorns .

There are 128 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 2001 by Oxford University Press .

John Rowe Townsend was born in Leeds in 1922. He is the author of many books for children including The Intruder, The Islanders and Written for Children, an examination of children's literature.