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Stone Cold (Puffin Teenage Fiction)
 
 
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Stone Cold (Puffin Teenage Fiction) (Paperback)

by Robert Swindells (Author) "My fascinating life ..." (more)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (130 customer reviews)
RRP: £5.99
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  • This item: Stone Cold (Puffin Teenage Fiction) by Robert Swindells

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

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Product details

  • Paperback: 144 pages
  • Publisher: Puffin; New Ed edition (27 Jan 2005)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0140362517
  • ISBN-13: 978-0140362510
  • Product Dimensions: 18.2 x 11.1 x 1.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (130 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 5,828 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #1 in  Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators > S > Swindells, Robert
    #10 in  Books > Children's Books > Lifestyle & Family Issues
    #11 in  Books > Children's Books > Fiction > Issues > Social

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

Stone Cold, winner of the 1994 Carnegie Medal, serves as a sinister warning to any young runaway and not just because there is a killer on the loose. Narrated by 17-year-old Link, homeless and jobless in London after being driven out of home by a drunken, abusive stepfather, he vividly recounts the day-to-day experiences of a homeless person. Because he tells it like it is, his descriptions of sleeping rough shatter any romantic notions: "So you pick your spot. Wherever it is ... it's going to have a floor of stone, tile, concrete or brick. In other words it's going to be hard and cold. It might be a bit cramped, too--shop doorways often are. And remember, if it's winter you're going to be half-frozen before you even start."

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
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Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
My fascinating life. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

130 Reviews
5 star:
 (46)
4 star:
 (54)
3 star:
 (20)
2 star:
 (9)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (130 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Chilling, 16 Jul 2007
By SJSmith (UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
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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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Too 'try-hard', 13 Feb 2007
This novel just seems to be trying too hard to tick boxes. Aimed at teenagers, with 'typical' teen problems (check!); addresses a serious social issue at the same time (check!); something grisly to interest the boys if used in English lessons - as it is, endlessly, by the way - (check!) Perhaps my cynicism is due to the fact that I am an English teacher myself and have just seen this novel taught too often. However, I truly think some books can stand that kind of test... and this is not one of them. There just isn't enough to it and the dual narrative gets very tedious after the first few chapters. In fact, I found the characters surprisingly difficult to care about, considering the potentially moving subject matter.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Link's narration is great; Shelter turns kids off., 25 Feb 2007
By Mr. D. Reed (Stockton on Tees) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
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.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Book
it is a good book for teenagers and its interesting.Also what i think would be a good book to read to secondry school children.
Published 10 months ago by George Riggall

4.0 out of 5 stars Stone Cold: a good story...
Stone Cold: A good story...
in fact, two stories are interwoven until the two become one. The one story is told by Link, a boy who becomes homeless, the other is told by... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Bookworm

5.0 out of 5 stars Psychopath meets the homeless: the outcome seems bleak
As any serial killer knows, the easiest targets are those who wouldn't be missed - prostitutes, the homeless, the poor and alone. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Zoe Brillantes

3.0 out of 5 stars DUMBING DOWN
This is an entertaining read but does not have the depth to be studied for GCSE - what are the examiners thinking of choosing this over Steinbeck, Dickens, Hardy, et al? Read more
Published 17 months ago by Dr Sue

4.0 out of 5 stars Gripping and compelling
The book's theme, poverty and life on the streets, didn't appeal to me before I read the book as I'm used to reading crime novels. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Sebastian

2.0 out of 5 stars Depressing and Wry
I read this book in English, as a play. We acted out certain scenes and i found it depressing. It is easy to follow and sometimes it has a bit of humour, but over all it makes you... Read more
Published on 18 Jul 2007 by Mrs. Smurthwaite

4.0 out of 5 stars Stone cold
'Stone Cold' tells a fairly realistic tale about a boy called Link who ends up on the street. Being homeless, he finds out how extremely difficult it is to get by. Read more
Published on 19 April 2007 by DonCarnalone

4.0 out of 5 stars Stone cold= must read!
Stone cold is a story about a Young boy who is homeless and you get insight on how his life crawls on by, day by day. Read more
Published on 3 Feb 2007 by Niek Bosman

3.0 out of 5 stars Stone Cold
I thought the book 'Stone Cold' was a moving, adventurous novel. It was a really interesting, gripping book to read. It gave me an in sight into the lives of homeless people. Read more
Published on 15 Dec 2006 by Debra Cox

3.0 out of 5 stars Stone Cold Review
It starts off well, with interesting characters and a promising plot, but it loses it towards the end. We are studying this book for our English Lit. Read more
Published on 14 Oct 2006 by Fred

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