Follow Here To Purchase Burglar Boy

Author: Jackie Martin

ISBN: 1907552146

Publisher: Nightingale Books

Eleven- year- old Dean Fogarty, narrator of debut author Jackie Martin's novel Burglar Boy realizes he has quite a rough and sad life. His mother is an alcoholic spending a good part of her day passing out on the couch and his brother Callum is a drug dealer. Dean often wonders where is his father and why hasn't he been around to watch him grow up. In addition, poor Dean is shunned by his classmates, particularly by a little precocious classmate, Elspeth, and when he does attend school, he has difficulty concentrating on his studies. Quite often absent from school without valid reason, Dean is always begging Callum to write phony excuse notes to his teacher Miss Durani. For all intents and purposes, Dean is alone with very little guidance and comfort from family, friends or teachers.

To garner favor with Callum, Dean resorts to burglarizing various homes in his neighborhood where his pillage usually consists of jewelery and other small valuables. The hot pickings are exchanged with Callum for a small pittance. Recounting his first robbery at house Number 18, Dean describes how Callum gave him a leg up to get in and after finding a DVD player, he pushed it through a rectangular shaped toilet window. In another instance a wet naked lady surprised him on the landing of her staircase.

Two events bring some sunshine into Dean's life. The first occurs when while breaking into a stranger's home, he meets a cute little white dog named Monty. Initially, Monty is quite terrified of Dean, however, in no time the two strike up a lasting friendship. The second takes place when Dean, passing by a house with a double garage door opened, hears a sad, patient voice call out “H-e-l-l-o?” While peering into the house, he observes an elderly woman on the kitchen floor crying out for help. Dean slowly enters the house and eventually helps the woman and in the process becomes her hero. Dean is elated when the woman tells him that he has restored her dignity and thanks him profusely.

The strength of this book is Dean's characterization, who surprisingly does seem quite real- a testament to Martin's talent as a young adult author. Let's face it, Dean is a little thief, something we surely can't condone, nonetheless we still can't help feeling sorry for him and even liking his gutsy character. And although the book is initially filled with hopelessness and despair, the narrative still manages to effectively maintain its snap. In addition, readers will without doubt appreciate the author's subtle message interwoven into the yarn that a little appreciation and kindness from total strangers can go quite a long way. In the end, Burglar Boy is a treat for children of all ages and even adults and a thoroughly engaging read.

Jackie Martin has many years working with children as an entertainer, teaching assistant and private tutor. She has a First-class (Honours) Degree in Psychology and sells her humorous designs on her website.

Follow Here To Read Norm's Interview With Jackie Martin

Follow Here To Purchase Burglar Boy