The Secrets of Sarah Byrnes

Both cover and blurb strike a chord of melodrama far removed from this compelling and wittily written story, which has a real sense of pace and tension. Crutcher has command of the gamut of emotions - he crosses adeptly from humour and friendship to terror and animosity. Moby and Sarah Byrnes are two social misfits who form a friendship which protects them against the attentions of a playground bully and, later, Sarah's violent father. This is an excellent piece of fiction which should find its way into able Year 9 readers' hands.