Feather Boy: Tackle issues of bullying, intergenerational relationships and overcoming fear with this beautifully written engaging story. (Collins Readers) - Hardcover

Singer, Nicky

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0007154402 ISBN 13: 9780007154401

Publisher: Collins Educational, 2003

Synopsis

Feather Boy is a compelling, utterly convincing account of young teen life, written in an unforgettable voice

Robert Nobel, the school pariah, triumphs over his own fears and the school bully, in this extraordinary and inspiring tale of self-empowerment, legend and death.

Robert just wants to keep his head down and ignore the bullies at school. But then he is drawn into an unlikely friendship with a strange old lady and a mystery from the past. What is the story behind derelict Chance House? Who was the boy who fell to his death from its window? As Robert discovers the answers, he begins to find something else – the strength to face his own life.

The novel presents us with a first-hand account of life as the victim of a school bully, and as such, is ideal for exploration of this important topic, providing opportunities for cross-curricular work in PSHE and Citizenship. However, it also examines such themes as intergenerational relationships, growth and self-belief and overcoming fear. The novel highlights the importance of oral storytelling and history, and provides many wonderful passages for the study of narrative and recount texts.

About this title

About the Author

Nicky Singer was born in 1956 and has worked in publishing, the arts and television. She was co-founder and co-director of Performing Arts Labs, a charity dedicated to training new writers for theatre, screen and opera. In 1995 she presented BBC2’s highly acclaimed documentary series on women’s fertility, “Labours of Eve”. In 2000, Nicky was made a board member of the South East Arts Board. Nicky lives in Brighton with her husband and their two young sons and a daughter.

From the Back Cover

Robert is a boy who can do anything – or so old Edith Sorrel at the nursing home tells him. Robert doesn’t think so, knowing that he is the school geek. But something compels him to do what Edith asks – to visit old Chance House, where a boy once fell to his death from the top floor flat, to confront his fears and find some answers. Niker the bully thinks this is a great laugh. He challenges Robert to spend the night at Chance House with him – but the balance of power changes, and it is Robert who proves to be the stronger. Niker feels threatened by the change – and when he finds out Robert’s secret obsession, to make the dying Edith Sorrel a coat of feathers like in the old legend of the Firebird, he knows just how to wrest his old power back. But just how important is the coat of feathers and could it really save Edith’s life?

Edition details

• Publisher: Collins Educational
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0007154402
• ISBN 13: 9780007154401
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 288