Dale's older brother, Gav, has been convicted of killing five women, so Dale and his family have no choice but to change their names, move away and start new lives somewhere where they won't be branded with the stigma of Gav's crimes. But Dale can't move away from the fear inside himself that he might one day become just like his brother a monster. When a tabloid journalist tries to track down the family and expose their new identities, Dale is forced to confront his fears in a battle to protect the new lives they have built.

What are the themes?

Freedom, identity, sense of community, growing up, bullying, responsibility, relationships, honour.

Teaching points

Ideal for thought-provoking work exploring a range of challenging contemporary issues, especially the role of the media. The range of narrative techniques, including shifts between narrative voices, presents excellent opportunities for exploring structure and characterisation.

"Swindells helps the reader to engage with the wider world"

Dr Helen Bulbeck, Secondary Consultant

This book is part of a book series called New Longman Literature 11-14 .

There are 192 pages in this book. This book was published 2007 by Pearson Education Limited .

Robert Swindells is author of the award-winning novel Brother in the Land and has just finished his first picture book for children. He lives in West Yorkshire, England.