The Bus People

A day in the life of Bertram, the mini-bus driver who takes the 'specials' to and from their day centre, frames six stories about his passengers. The stories present highly discomforting presentations of the callousness and condescension with which the mainstream world treats its 'bus people', but they also depict the individual children with a vivid warmth that's positive and moving without being at all sentimental. Teachers should be aware that some readers, or their parents, might be upset by the frankness of the stories, but it would be a great pity if this limited the availability of a challenging and enjoyable book.