Fourteen year-old Rusty-James idolizes his elder brother, the Motorcycle Boy, and wants to be just like him. Once the leader of a huge street gang, Motorcycle Boy remains calm, even laughs, in the face of danger. He is the toughest street-fighter around and the most respected guy on their side of the river. Suddenly Rusty-James' brother changes, becomes a loner and shuns gangs and fighting, comparing them to rumblefish - Siamese fighting fish so ferocious that they attack their own reflections in a mirror. Rusty-James is torn between blind adoration for his brother and an eagerness to return to the days of street fights and both boys rush heedlessly into danger.

 

 

This book features in the following series: Lions Series, Puffin, Puffin Teenage Books .

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 2002 by Penguin Random House Children's UK .

S E Hinton wrote THE OUTSIDERS, her first book, when she was 17 - it was a phenomenal success. Its publication enabled her to attend the University of Tulsa, Oklahoma; she graduated in 1970 with a major in education. S E Hinton was the first recipient of the American Library Association Award for an outstanding contribution to Young Adult Literature. She lives in Oklahoma.