Compelling drama in which 17-year-old Ellis comes to terms with the meaning of death...

Ellis is an ordinary 17-year-old; someone who's planning to finish school and go to university like any other teenager. The difference is that four months ago, his best friend Simon killed himself. Still - that was four months ago. Ellis has now 'got over it'.

Except, of course, he hasn't. Returning to his home town, he gets drawn into a situation in which the 'old' Ellis would never have become embrangled. He gatecrashes a party and persuaded to 'rescue' two sisters - Ursa and Leo, driving them back to the Land of Smiles - the ex-motel where they live.

From that moment on, nothing is the same again. The story is narrated hour-by-hour, as Ellis packs a life-time of experiences into the next twenty-four hours. Giving in to high spirits and booze, Ellis wakes next morning in a strange bed, with a stonking hangover and a shaven head! He learns that a child has been kidnapped, and is persuaded to help in her rescue...

This is a bizarre, surreal and powerful novel in which the reader is taken on the same roller-coaster ride as Ellis.

Received an Honour Award in the 2001 NZ Post Children's Book Awards Senior Fiction category.

About the Author

Margaret Mahy was born in New Zealand and has loved telling stories all her life. She has published well over a hundred titles and won several major prizes and awards, including The Order of New Zealand, for her internationally-acclaimed contribution to children's literature. She has twice won the prestigious Carnegie Medal, (The Haunting, 1982, and The Changeover, 1984).
Margaret lives in the South Island of New Zealand, in a house which she partially built herself, overlooking Governor's Bay.

Book Information
ISBN 9780006755418
Author Margaret Mahy
Format Paperback
Page Count 192
Imprint HarperCollins Children's Books
Publisher HarperCollins Publishers
Weight(grams) 160g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 12mm