One thing we know about good books is their amazing ability to inspire empathy in the reader; to explore ideas and viewpoints that arise from experiences that are out of our own realm. When their moms arrange for Alex and Dan to spend time together over winter break, it seems like a recipe for certain disaster. There was something so special about this book, and while it was painful to read, everything Foster wrote worked so well. Both main characters feel genuine and rounded, that mix of joy, horror, anger and confusion that can only really come with high school and puberty. Other than that, I would recommend this book to everyone because the characters were imperfectly perfect, the story was precious and I absolutely adored it.

I guess it's because Alex was funny and nice, but Dan, all of a sudden, started to become nice to Alex one day while working on Shooting Star, and for me that just seems unreal, ESPECIALLY compared to the modern day school system. Bronnie is so lovely with the boys and we also felt that having a man enthusing about the books set a great example.Obviously, this scares the hell out of me every single day, but I cannot even imagine having those fears, multiply them by 100 (because I'm not actually diagnosed with OCD), AND having 4 bullies constantly picking on me and not being able to talk to anyone about it. Finance is provided by PayPal Credit (a trading name of PayPal UK Ltd, Whittaker House, Whittaker Avenue, Richmond-Upon-Thames, Surrey, United Kingdom, TW9 1EH). It was such a pleasure to meet you both, and I really appreciated how smoothly and professionally you ran everything.

This book is a great take on the way that the random different stereotypes ('geeks', 'bullies', 'weirdos') are inside versus how they're seen in the hierarchical system that is school. It's a great story and shows how two people can be friends even if they start off not liking each other. A thoroughly enjoyable read for readers aged 9-13 who love to read exciting stories about real life issues. His teachers haven’t got the time to truly understand and help him and because he’s quiet he doesn’t demand attention. As time goes by with the boys working together on the raft, a new empathy begins to develop and their relationship begins to grow, albeit shaped by a mixture of tension, confusion and developing compassion.I think Stewart Foster has written a great book here, I couldn't put it down and read it in pretty much one sitting because I just kept wanting to know what was going to happen next. Dan bullies Alex because Dan hangs out with bullies at school, bullies who aren't really friends to him, either. Dan, the class bully, distraught over his older brother's absence due to a felony charge, frequently bubbles over in anger.