The Sandfather

Hal’s white mother has given him the name of a prince, but the fact that she will not allow him to know the identity of his black father stirs an angry and accelerating turmoil within him which eventually results in his suspension from school.

Exiled to a seaside resort while his mother is in hospital, he prowls the beach, befriends a Polish child, and comes under the influence of an equally troubled elderly artist, the companion of his bohemian aunt. It is from them that he picks up taunting clues about his own identity, and sets off on a restless search that leads through excited certainty to bitter disappointment and eventual resolution.

Linda Newberry, winner of the 2006 Costa Children’s Book of the Year Award, has written an intense and excitingly paced story. We empathise with Hal’s agonies (though the author has provided him with a whole galaxy of stellar mentors to help him through them), and share his mixed reactions when all is eventually revealed.