A Waste of Good Paper

The story of Jason, a boy at Heronford School for children with emotional and behavioural difficulties. The journal tells of the comic and sometimes uncomfortable day to day events at the school, with Jason, his teachers and classmates. And it explores his family life with his mother, who has recently given up taking heroin, and her violent, drug-taking ex-boyfriend, who returns unexpectedly. And then there is the storyteller who works at the school. He tells the boys the Russian folktale of a young man with a faithful horse, who overcomes a manipulative king. Jason is searingly, touchingly honest about his life and relationships, and through his journal he begins to reach an understanding of himself.
This is a brilliant debut teenage novel, to be compared with The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.

Friday

Pete says this is a writing book he's only giving ME and it's PRIVATE and I can write what I want. But SORRY PETE there's nothing I want to write...


Wednesday

Pete's alright but it's a DUMB idea he's got about this book because the problem last year was what FATHEAD BARRY and the others were saying about my mum. And what happens if they start DISSING her again?



Saturday

I'm writing this because of what's happened. And that is my mum's ex-boyfriend JON SHOWED UP. And BOTH his arms were BROKEN...



A searingly honest, funny and totally brilliant debut novel