It takes a special kind of boy to convince a high school teacher to put his career on the line.
“Let me tell you what I’m willin’ to do for you. We start a new gang. Very exclusive. You and me.”
Times have changed since Jim Stevens chose to teach history. Rules meant to protect children now make all pupil/teach relationships taboo, even those that might benefit vulnerable students. Students like Shamayal Thomas. But the alternative is to involve social services, and as they both know, involving social services has consequences.
“Promise me one thing, Sir. I you decide you gotta pick up that phone, you need to tell me first so that I can disappear myself. Because I ain’t havin’ none of that.”
Shamayal Thomas can clothe a word in sarcasm; disguise disdain with respect. He also does a fine line in bare-faced cheek. So, what is it that Jim finds he has in common with his 14-year-old pupil as they study a large framed photograph of a barn owl?
“The wings, all spread out and that. They’re kind of like an angel’s.”
On the last day of the summer term, Ayisha Emmanuelle hears the familiar chant of “Fight! Fight! Fight!” and swears under her breath. But when she hurries to break up what she assumes is a schoolyard scuffle, she finds her colleague Jim Stevens bleeding from a stab-wound and rapidly losing consciousness.
In the chaos that follows, when Shamayal reveals that he and Jim are friends, Ayisha knows she should report her colleague. But with Jim in hospital fighting for his life, she hesitates. Now, all she can do is wait and see if her instinct was right.
If you want to laugh and cry and stamp and cheer – all in the space of a few hours of reading – this is the book for you.
Bookmuse
Everything about this novel surprised me – from the title to the final page it was a joy.
Gillian Hamer, author
A story teller with a keen eye for detail and a very good grasp of dialogue.
John Ironmonger, author of Not Forgetting the Whale
