Author:Leon Garfield
Mr Corbett is a cruel employer and his young apprentice Benjamin can't help but wish he were dead. So when a strange old man offers to make this wish come true, Benjamin finds it impossible to refuse. Sure enough, Mr Corbett meets an untimely death, but the tables turn on the terrified apprentice who finds himself cursed with the ghost of the man he hated most in the world . . .
A brilliant collection of three short stories from a master story-teller, who will keep you turning the pages until the very end.
The tension is as forceful as any high-tech thriller
—— Philip PullmanThe way a child sees the second world war through the small details of her life is movingly captured in a beautiful first-person story first published in the 70s
—— GuardianAn engaging tale with ordinary people made extraordinary by circumstances
—— School LibrarianA book of quite exceptional distinction...a haunting, convincing story which comes close to being a masterpiece of its kind
—— Growing PointThe novel is [...] a knockout
—— The Irish TimesJohn Boyne is clearly unafraid to tackle the big subjects in his fiction for children . . . A good, solid, engaging read
—— Tony Bradman , GuardianWonderful . . . One of the best books of the year. An instant classic
—— Eoin ColferLeaves the reader with a greater sense of how war changes people and their communities, and reminds us that sometimes, the ordinary acts of courage that get a child and his family through each day are as valuable, rare and life-changing as any along the front. Alfie inspires us to be more courageous than we’re used to and to do right by others even when the world is tense around us
—— Oprah MagazineA beautifully paced and touching tale
—— Mail on Sunday