Genre Bildungsroman.Historical
Reading age 13 to Adult
Series YA Fiction

Awards:
2003 Winner - WA Premier's Literary Award (Young Adult Award)
2004 Shortlist - Victorian Premier's Award for Young Adult Fiction
2004 Shortlist - Queensland Premier's Literary Award (Best Young Adult Book)

Annotation:
Reminiscent of Tom Sawyer, fourteen years old Sam although in truth powerless, is king of the town of Broome because in his peripetatic way he engages with all levels of people, a most unusual thing in this class and race determined society. His father is manager of the movie house, the Sun Picture Theatre, and Sam acts as usher, leading patrons to their race-determined seats. His outlook is also influenced by a steady diet of movie heroes—he falls in love with a new girl in town, the manipulative Amy because she looks like Mary Pickford, and idolises her father, 'the new copper', because he seems as brave as Tom Mix. Of course this is the perfect set up to contrast the clear values and outcomes of movies with the much muddier circumstances of the complicated town.
The book opens with Sam meeting a Filipino crewman from a pearl lugger and his huge, mentally defective brother who are pushing the body of a Japanese diver in a cart. Each subsequent short chapter has a similar, if not as gobsmacking, sharp incident which keeps the narrative whizzing along while the seeds of a tragedy are sown.
This is clever, brisk, engaging writing. All readers will surely be charmed by feckless Sam and be left with a vivid impression of Broome in 1926.
Recommended as a read aloud text for adolescents.

For Teachers' Notes go to Puffin Teachers' Notes and follow the links… ( )