When Buddy's Mum walks out on his Dad, Buddy and his inept, no-good Father have to work at forging a relationship with each other. A funny, gritty, poignant and moving story which deals with the very real issues of racism, neglect and moral dilemma (when Buddy needs to own up to stealing).The story is realistic and witten in simple language which makes this a good read for weaker students. Despite this, the issues are still complex and Hinton cleverly helps his readers to examine the characters and their motives from all angles and to understand their point of view.
Verdict: suitable for study at junior level