LoveReading Says
When a young and attractive new drama teacher arrives at school, Beth and many of the other girls are immediately smitten by both his looks and his intense teaching style. Soon the class is deep into rehearsals for Romeo and Juliet. It is no surprise that Hannah, golden girl of the year, gets the part of Juliet. Although Beth had hoped for it too she is happy enough playing the Nurse as she is keen to be a closer friend of Hannah’s and they’ll have several scenes together. But, while Beth naively thinks that she and Hannah are becoming closer, it soon becomes clear that Hannah has quite a different and far, far more dangerous relationship in mind. A good fictional account of a shocking situation.
A Piece of Passion from Ruth Williams, Publisher Simon’s books are always very gripping and surprising. Even though it’s fairly clear early on that this book is about a teacher having an inappropriate affair with a pupil, it still comes as a shock when the affair is revealed. The narrator, Beth, is a beautifully drawn character and I liked her more and more as I got to know her. I really felt for her in the dilemma she faces. One of the things I like best about Simon’s writing is his very dry humour, which is particularly apparent in his depiction of pupil relationships, both with each other and with their teachers. It’s quite a feat, I think, that he always manages to make difficult, gritty subjects so hugely entertaining.
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Trust Games Synopsis
16-year-old Beth is desperate to become friends with Lauren, the most popular girl in school. When the new stand-in drama teacher, Mr Carver, decides to put on a production of Romeo and Juliet, Beth finally ends up close to Lauren, as The Nurse to her Juliet. The friendship they develop is not quite what Beth had hoped, with Lauren failing to turn up to meet her and then using Beth as a convenient excuse for where she is staying that night. It's only when Beth discovers the illicit affair going on between Mr Carver and Lauren that her strange behaviour suddenly makes sense. Beth knows she must step in to stop the love affair - but the decision she makes has dire consequences for everyone involved.
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9781848123847 |
| Publication date: |
5th June 2014 |
| Author: |
Simon Packham |
| Publisher: |
Piccadilly Press Ltd an imprint of Templar Publishing |
| Format: |
Paperback |
| Primary Genre |
Young Adult Fiction
|
Simon Packham Press Reviews
A very good book with a wonderful narrator. - Bookbag on Firewallers
Praise for Silenced
Moving, poignant and perceptive - Packham gets right inside the mind of a boy who is almost literally crippled by guilt and regret. - The Independent
Fun and thought provoking. - National Literacy Association on The Bex Factor
About Simon Packham
A Q&A with Simon..
What inspires your writing? A need to try and make some sense of the world. My children.
What has been the most exciting moment of your career so far? Seeing my first review in The Observer (totally unexpected – and good by the way), and having my work translated into other languages.
How did you first become an author? I’d taken a break from acting to be a ‘househusband’ and look after our two small children. I’d always written since I was about 9 years old (plays to begin with), but it really helped me stay sane amidst all the nappy changing. My first adult novel The Opposite Bastard (about an out of work actor who is forced to become carer for a teenage quadriplegic at Oxford University) was published by Macmillan New Writing. I started writing for a younger audience in an effort to entertain my son (then about 12 now 18). I hoped I could interest him in something that didn’t involve teenage spies or wizards.
What are you reading right now? Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon and before that Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner.
What was your earliest career aspiration? I always wanted to be an actor, and that’s what I did for the first twenty years of my working life. Specialising in small, but mainly insignificant characters in West-End shows, I still had a great time and got to work with
some amazing people. (Dame Judi Dench, Omar Sharif, Frank Finlay, The Royal Shakespeare Company, Ann Aston off the Golden Shot etc...)
What advice would you give to budding writers? Don’t let your inner critic put you off before you’ve even started. There’s no such thing as a bad idea – it’s all in the way you tackle it.
What was your favourite childhood book? I loved William books by Richmal Crompton and Astrid Lindgren’s Pippi Longstocking.
Where is your favourite place to write? I used to write in the bedroom, but then we had a loft conversion so now I’ve got my own room. I still can’t decide if I’m more productive when I face the window.
How do you read- print, digitally or both? I’ve got a Kindle, which I find brilliant for editing my own work and reading non-fiction, but I still prefer reading novels in the old fashioned way.
Who do you most admire? Peter Tatchell – teachers in state schools.
Are there any books you wish you had written? American Pyscho (Bret Easton Ellis) and Vile Bodies (Evelyn Waugh)
More About Simon Packham
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