Synopsis

ake lives with his mum and terrifying step-father. After a particularly bad bought of physical violence, Jake and his mother escape and seek refuge with Jake's Grandmother (Jake's father's mother). A series of revelations and confrontations later, Jake is reunited with his real father and Steve gets his just desserts.

Themes and Issues

Domestic violence, relationships, separation, loyalty, justice, friendship, security.

Structure

Begins straight into the story. Key information is then communicated through a series of flashbacks.
The story comes full circle in terms of setting: beginning and ending in Jake's den, the hole by his fence.

Imagery

The image of the tower, reflecting Jake's sense of security, recurs throughout the novel: p. 2, 17, 71, 131, 154.

Style

The use of and…and..
p.137 imagery.

Application

• Excitement Graph, plotting the emotional highs and lows as the plot develops. This supports the analysis of story structure and encourages discussion of how an author achieves pace.
• Use the development of the Tower image to retell, support discussion of the book
• Hotseating of Jake at key points as a way into diary writing

Other recommended books by Elizabeth Laird

"Secret Friends"
"The Garbage King"