Description
Do you dare . . .
Leave school to support your family?
Save your big brother?
Stand up to the local crims?
It’s an adventure in history.
Do you Dare?
It's 1915 in Melbourne's inner west and Jimmy has left school to support his family while his brother is away at war. But when Jimmy's brother returns, he is a different person, and Jimmy finds his 'odd jobs' for the local crims have also taken a turn for the worst.
Will Jimmy go to gaol and can he save his family and his brother...?
Review
Sherryl Clark has highlighted the stark reality of growing up during WWI. Jimmy is a good kid. He goes to school, reluctantly, and loves to kick the footy with his friends.
But life is tough. It is 1915. It is now only his Mum and him. Jimmy is not only dealing with the death of his father, but is adjusting to life without his brother around, who is away fighting the war.
When his Mum becomes sick, Jimmy takes on the responsibility of being the only one who can feed the family. School will just have to wait. He needs to work. They need the money.
He has been a delivery boy and had a back-breaking job at the rail yards. But it is his work for Bill Prosser that is the most lucrative. ButJimmy knows it could end in major trouble. But what choice does he have?
When Arthur returns home from the war as a shell of the straping, young, handsome man he was, life just gets even more complicated.
For such a young boy, Jimmy must make some extremely tough decisions. Will he make the biggest mistake of his life?
A perfect read for boys 12 and up.
Reviewed by Sam
