The Boy Who Lost His Face

David reluctantly takes part in stealing an old lady’s cane in an ugly incident in which she falls off her chair showing her knickers and has lemonade tipped over her head. As David struggles with peer group pressure and bullying, this painful event comes back to haunt him. He tips off his chair and ‘forgets’ to do up his fly. Has he been cursed? In this elegantly plotted, funny novel Sachar holds the tension well as David gradually forms a group of real friends and finds the courage to retrieve the cane and take it back to its owner. There is also a delightful sub-plot about David’s crush on Tori, a girl in his class; the intensity of his feelings and the aching awkwardness of first love are beautifully captured. After Holes, Sachar’s chef d’oeuvre to date, the ending of this earlier novel is perhaps a little cosy, but nevertheless it is hugely enjoyable.