Superscripts - Stone Cold - Softcover

Joe Standerline; Robert Swindells

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0748740600 ISBN 13: 9780748740604

Publisher: Nelson Thornes Ltd, 1999

Synopsis

Dave is just another sixteen-year-old who's run away from home. New to London, he falls in with Ginger and, calling himself Link, begins to learn how to survive on the streets. However, a maniac is out there, stalking homeless young people and hell-bent on cleaning up the city...

About this title

Review

Stone Cold, winner of the 1994 Carnegie Medal, serves as a sinister warning to any young runaway and not just because there is a killer on the loose. Narrated by 17-year-old Link, homeless and jobless in London after being driven out of home by a drunken, abusive stepfather, he vividly recounts the day-to-day experiences of a homeless person. Because he tells it like it is, his descriptions of sleeping rough shatter any romantic notions: "So you pick your spot. Wherever it is ... it's going to have a floor of stone, tile, concrete or brick. In other words it's going to be hard and cold. It might be a bit cramped, too--shop doorways often are. And remember, if it's winter you're going to be half-frozen before you even start."

If this was just another diatribe on the perils of sleeping rough, the reader's interest would soon wane but it is far more gripping than that. The author alternates Link's tale with that of an unknown serial killer preying on the homeless. You, the reader, see how closely their lives brush against each other and know it's only a matter of time before they clash. Will Link be joining the other recruits in the cellar--what a deterrent that would be! (Age 11 and over.) --Nicola Perry

Synopsis

The demand for new drama literature for Key Stages 3 and 4 is met by these original scripts and adaptations of popular children's fiction. The curriculum requirements for studying genuine dramatic literature will be achieved by studying these accessible theatre scripts. The plays can be successfully performed by pupils as they have already been performed in public to popular acclaim. The sophisticated themes and complex plots have been specifically designed to appeal to 11-16 year olds, and have a language level accessible to all pupils. These dramatic adaptations of popular texts allow pupils to respond to the subject matter from a new angle.

Edition details

• Publisher: Nelson Thornes Ltd
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0748740600
• ISBN 13: 9780748740604
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 96