Dosh (Puffin Teenage Books S.) - Softcover

Swindells, Robert

Softcover

ISBN 10: 014130023X ISBN 13: 9780141300238

Publisher: Puffin, 2000

Synopsis

Every kid in the secondary school is trying to earn extra money, but whether they work in the factory, deliver papers, or what, they must give 10% of their earnings to Push, the school protection racket. Everyone knows Push is run by the Flitcrofts - Charles and Mavis - but no one can prove it. The kids band together to form Pull and refuse to pay - this might have worked but Flitcroft is about to settle a very big deal and can't let a bunch of kids ruin it. He calls in his heavies and several kids are beaten up. Pull get wind of Flitcroft's deal - dodgy videos involving children - they infiltrate a party and manage to escape with enough evidence for Flitcroft to be arrested.

About this title

Review:

Since Stone Cold, his excellent Carnegie Award-winning novel about homelessness, Robert Swindells has written just two other full-length works for Penguin Books--the home of his most mature and influential work. Following on from Smash!, which tackled racism, and Unbeliever, an unsettling tale of dubious urban cults, comes another gritty novel for teenagers called Dosh. As its title suggests, Dosh is about money. But it is also about something much bigger and infinitely more sinister as you might expect from this big-name author.

The tightly clenched fist holding crumpled banknotes on the cover is highly evocative and revealing about the book's contents. It says power and aggression. The knuckles are white and threatening. There is a raw, basic, illegal need in the image which accurately portrays what is to come--a fast-moving, well-told story that represents some of the best writing around today.

Money is close to every young person's heart--especially so when you have just started your first job. And when 10 percent of your earnings are spirited away, sometimes forcibly, by a shady local protection racket, it makes the pupils of Cottoncroft Comprehensive School want to fight back. Maisie Malin and some of her school mates are sick of "Push"--headed up by Charles Flitcroft and his cronies, young and old--so they try to set up "Pull" as an antidote. It's risky, of course, and there are bound to be setbacks along the way, but it seems that everybody's pain has to get worse before it stands any chance of getting better.

Swindells tackles his disturbing subjects with a distinctly contemporary prose. There is just enough description to enable the reader to visualise what's happening, and lots of dialogue to keep the plot moving. There are plenty of different characters as well, all playing a vital role in events as they unfold.

Robert Swindells is a heavyweight in the children's book world and he doesn't write nearly enough books like Dosh. He should stay in more. (Age 13 and over) --John McLay

About the Author:

Robert Swindells taught for eight years before becoming a full-time writer. His books usually carry a message and are particularly directed at teenagers. He has won the Children's Book Award twice - for BROTHER IN THE LAND and ROOM 13 - and the Carnegie Medal for STONE COLD. Robert lives on the Yorkshire Moors.

About this edition

• Publisher: Puffin
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 014130023X
• ISBN 13: 9780141300238
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 208