Matthew is spending his vacation at the shore. There's not much to do there, but it's better than being back on the council estate where he doesn't have any real friends because of his blindness.
Then he meets Roly. Now there's lots to do, like sneaking off to the cemetery, or exploring the scary old mansion on the edge of town. -- But Roly has a secret and Matthew is in danger.
This little gem is an Apple Paperback from 1987 that I missed back then. It would be great for fans of Betty Ren Wright and had a lovely spooky atmosphere. Set in England, blind tween Matthew takes a quick holiday with his mum to a beach cottage, where he meets another boy named Roly who helps him walk to the water on his own. However, Roly bounces from happiness to melancholy lightning fast and Matthew must discover why.
There's something about these books that brings me back in time for just a few minutes, where I can really feel being twelve years old in the 80s reading these books, in the same way that music or a scent can also bring you back in time.
Una ghost story per ragazzi molto classica, ma piacevole, ben scritta e di grande atmosfera! Un libro che se avessi letto da ragazzina sarebbe diventato uno dei miei preferiti in assoluto!
Saw this recently for 20 cents and decided to check it out. The story is about a blind boy who's struggling mother takes him on their first ever vacation to a sea-side village. There he meets a mysterious boy named Roly and the two have several secret adventures together but there's just something about Roly that's not quite natural...
This is a great cross between a teen novel and a classic English ghost story. While the ending isn't quite as well written as I'd like, the story is unique enough and enthralling enough to capture the reader's interest. For certain teen male reluctant readers, this book might be just the ticket.
For a voracious reader like myself, it was still a great afternoon's ghost story.
Everyone remembers the first book that ever made them cry. This was mine. I think I was eight or nine, nine or ten. Around the same age as the main characters. The climax hit me like a gut punch. It is a book about friendship, grief, regret, and redemption. I loved it and still love it. I cried and still cry.
I first read this book in fifth grade and loved it ever since. I've read it at least three times when I've stumbled upon it again, but could never remember the title! A great story about a blind boy who makes a very unusual friend on his summer vacation.