15 year olds Jude Chalk and Eddie Bree have been best friends since pre-school. Both are huge Star Wars fans and share a love of running. When Eddie is given a terminal cancer diagnosis, he hands Jude his bucket list. Mission no.1 of 10, is to ask a girl out. Jude is horrified, terrified even, but does not want to let his best friend down. He gathers his courage and asks a new girl to the school,Tiggy Potts, on a date and is surprised to discover there's a spark between them. But Tiggy has a secret that leaves Jude facing a difficult choice. Does he alert social services and risk losing her? Or does he pretend everything is fine?
Meanwhile he is faced with Eddie's final mission - a bungee jump. Terrified of heights, Jude
overcomes his fears and leaps out over the river Tees. As he hurtles towards the water, he
suddenly understands what the bucket list is all about. Eddie Bree is gifting him experiences
that will carry him through the dark days ahead.
Grief-stricken after Eddie's death, Jude spends days holed up in his room. Eventually, aware
that Eddie would be cross seeing him like this, he pulls on his running shoes and heads
down to the track where they used to train. Tiggy is there waiting for him, as she has been
every morning since Eddie's death. The spark Jude felt that first time he asked her out re-
ignites. As he pounds lap after lap, he realises he owes it to his best buddy to embrace life and every damn thing it has to offer.

About the Author

Debbie Roxburgh has worked in classrooms with children with SEND needs, as well as supporting teenagers. This is her debut novel. Debbie describers her work, professional experience and writing history here:

'I have spent a large part of my working life supporting children and young adults with special
needs. Being immersed in that environment, I quickly became aware of the need for diverse
books. I currently volunteer with reading in a local primary school.
I discovered my tribe in the online writing community, Write Mentor, where the support is
second to none. I write young adult, middle grade and lower middle grade books.
I have always been an avid reader. My dad worked in the book trade so our house was always
full of books and I would regularly devour a whole book in a day. One of my MG books was placed in the Chicken House Open Coop Competition and another shortlisted in the Skylark Marvellous Middle Grade Competition.
In 2024 I won the Wells Festival of Literature Local Writer's Award with Flyboy.'

What or who inspires you?

The young people I have worked with continue to inspire me to write. Being a part of their
lives and watching them grow is very much ingrained in my stories.

How you came to write your novel

Overhearing how some of the teenage boys I worked with communicated emotional issues
got me thinking. There was an awkwardness around how they approached these kind of
topics, a fear of losing face and perhaps being seen as weak. Then one of them adopted the
voice of a well-known fictional character and immediately spoke more freely.
This gave me the idea of placing two teenage boys in a highly emotional situation with their
shared love of all things Star Wars to help them through a challenging journey.

Book Information
ISBN 9781915758330
Author Debbie Roxburgh
Format Paperback
Page Count 256
Imprint ZunTold
Publisher ZunTold
Weight(grams) 279g