Stone Cold

A short book that packs a punch. Told in alternating chapters by a homeless boy Link and an insane serial killer who wants to rid the streets of "scum" of the Earth. This is chilling because we, the reader, know that the Killer has singled out Link to be one of his victims, and this is so suspenseful.
Throw in a homeless girl with a secret at the end, and the killer systematically picking off homeless people by various means and no one caring and you have a short but gripping book. Boys will love this.

I read Stone Cold at school and remember being confused as to what all the fuss was about – but since Robert Swindells is such a well-known name in children’s literature I thought I’d give him another chance when a copy arrived in the shop. To be honest, it still wasn’t a fantastic read, but from a more mature viewpoint I appreciated the underlying message more this time around.

The novel (novella, perhaps, at 132 pages) is narrated by a young man who calls himself Link (not his real name), with his chapters alternating with the log book of a sinister ex-military man called Shelter (also not his real name). Link has escaped his home life and his mother’s abusive boyfriend and travelled to London, only to find that the plentiful show more jobs and new life he’d hoped to find there are no more forthcoming than in his home town. Within weeks he is homeless, with nothing but his pack, his bedroll and the few pounds left in his pocket. Fortunately for him, he is befriended by Ginger, a seasoned ‘dosser’ who takes him under his wing and teaches him how to survive on the streets. But when Ginger disappears, and a handful of others follow suit, Link starts to fear for his own safety - which is where Shelter’s chilling diary comes in…

Although my copy has the tagline ‘Fear stalks the streets’ emblazoned across the cover, the thriller aspect of the book was almost a sideline for me. By alternating Shelter’s log with Link’s narrative, Swindells removes a lot of the tension and suspense from the story, and it was quite obvious what was going on right up to the minor twist at the end. Where Swindells excels is in his portrayal of homeless life for a young person. His descriptions of survival on the street – of the fear that haunts every night and of the bleak hand-to-mouth existence of every day – are well done, and his exploration of society’s perceptions of the homeless are brutal. We’ve all seen – and often used – the reactions that Link experiences when he is begging for change, and the author lays bare the hopeless spiral in which homeless people become trapped: needing work to survive, but not being able to find any because they have no permanent address, thus becoming more and more entrenched in street life, which means that no one will give them a chance in employment… And so it goes on. It’s thought-provoking, to say the least. For that reason, I’d definitely recommend the book to younger readers for its important introduction to a major issue, but for adults there are probably other books, done better, out there to read instead. show less

Yet another excellent book by Robert Swindells. I was reading this book in preparation for teaching it to a group of pupils with social, emotional and behavioural problems. It should go down a treat. Short chapters help keep the pace and the dual narrative means you don't have to focus too long on one particular character.

Narrated on one side by Link, a young lad who has left home due to an unhappy life. He is homeless but doesn't know how to be. He meets Ginger in a doorway one night and he begins to show him the ropes. Our other narrator is called Shelter, a sadistic seriel-killer who is killing the homeless children one by one.

The kids are disappearing and no one cares. Then Link meets Gail and his life improves but still Link show more knows something sinister has happened to Ginger. This book was winner of the Carnegie Medial (although I don't know which year) and it is easy to see why. It is captivating and pacey with great realistic characters. One or two more chapters at the end would have helped to finish it off much more neatly but who really needs that, the children can make up their own minds about what happens.

A good introduction to homelessness for children and as an add-on as a teacher it provides a range of stimulus for discussion. Well worth a read and well worth considering for the classroom. Yes it's been taught a lot but so what, it's a great book! show less

Stone Cold isn't overly great in the thrills department. However, it is well-written with very realistic descriptions of what it is like to live on the streets. The plight of homeless young people and the callous, uncaring attitude shown them by many in society is highlighted by this story and, while it is set in London, it is relevant to us all. More should definitely be done to keep these kids safe, sheltered and fed. This is a good book for tweens and teens.

There is a dual narrative that switches between Link, the homeless kid from an abusive home who is learning to survive on the streets of London, and Shelter a former soldier who is cleaning the streets of homeless people by murdering them. Unfortunately, this dual narrative takes away some of the mystery and tension from the story as it gives you the idea of where the story is heading.
The book is a very quick read and becaue of this it feels slightly rushed, especially towards the end. Overall, this book was ok. A good book for introducing children/teens to the subject of homelessness.

This was actually quite good - but not for me. Homelessness is such a terrible thing that I couldn't read it as entertainment and I wasn't learning anything from it either.

This was actually quite good - but not for me. Homelessness is such a terrible thing that I couldn't read it as entertainment and I wasn't learning anything from it either.