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Amazon.co.uk Review
If this was just another diatribe on the perils of sleeping rough, the reader's interest would soon wane but it is far more gripping than that. The author alternates Link's tale with that of an unknown serial killer preying on the homeless. You, the reader, see how closely their lives brush against each other and know it's only a matter of time before they clash. Will Link be joining the other recruits in the cellar--what a deterrent that would be! (Age 11 and over.) --Nicola Perry
Product Description
A tense, exciting thriller combined with a perceptive and harrowing portrait of life on the streets as a serial killer preys on the young and vulnerable homeless. 17-year-old Link is distrustful of people until he pairs up with Deb, homeless like him. But what Deb doesn't tell him is that she's an ambitious young journalist on a self-imposed assignment to track down the killer and that she's prepared to use herself as bait ...
Winner of the Carnegie Medal
My fascinating life. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
You must read this,
By A Customer
This review is from: Stone Cold (Puffin Teenage Fiction) (Paperback)
Every once in a while - not very often - you read a book that changes the way you think. And this is one of those. The tale is told from two distinct first-person perspectives - two diaries read concurrently, the perspective shifting with each chapter This is no fairy tale. It's a grim depiction of homelessness, and a sharp criticism of our apathy towards it. Swindells does not gloss over the This is a short novel, only a hundred pages. It is marketed as a children's book, and I admire Swindells for daring to open kids' eyes like
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Link's narration is great; Shelter turns kids off.,
By
This review is from: Stone Cold (Puffin Teenage Fiction) (Paperback)
Stone Cold does not set out to shock. Children of 11-13, who the book is aimed at, will have seen far more gruesome and realistic depictions of homeless people on TV, You Tube or wherever than in this toned down book. But this book certainly works in the classroom. The swear words on the first few pages help. Kids are shocked to hear their teacher swearing as he reads the opening descriptions of Vince, Link's 'bastard' of a step father.
The opening section of the book descibing the failures and pressures that led Link to London are certainly the most powerful. His mum buying her homeless son a sleeping bag, especially poignant. Many classes have got a bit fidgety during Shelter's narrative. In this dual narrated novella, Shelter's army psychobabble and indirect way of saying things certainly interferes and interrupts our empathetic response to Link's plight. Tension at the end? A little rushed maybe. Like this review.
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Chilling,
By
This review is from: Stone Cold (Puffin Teenage Fiction) (Paperback)
Yet another excellent book by Robert Swindells. I was reading this book in preparation for teaching it to a group of pupils with social, emotional and behavioural problems. It should go down a treat. Short chapters help keep the pace and the dual narrative means you don't have to focus too long on one particular character.
Narrated on one side by Link, a young lad who has left home due to an unhappy life. He is homeless but doesn't know how to be. He meets Ginger in a doorway one night and he begins to show him the ropes. Our other narrator is called Shelter, a sadistic seriel-killer who is killing the homeless children one by one. The kids are disappearing and no one cares. Then Link meets Gail and his life improves but still Link knows something sinister has happened to Ginger. This book was winner of the Carnegie Medial (although I don't know which year) and it is easy to see why. It is captivating and pacey with great realistic characters. One or two more chapters at the end would have helped to finish it off much more neatly but who really needs that, the children can make up their own minds about what happens. A good introduction to homelessness for children and as an add-on as a teacher it provides a range of stimulus for discussion. Well worth a read and well worth considering for the classroom. Yes it's been taught a lot but so what, it's a great book!
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