Helicopter Man - Hardcover

Fensham, Elizabeth

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1582349819 ISBN 13: 9781582349817

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's Books, 2005

Synopsis

Fifteen-year-old Peter Sinclair's father is a paranoid schizophrenic, afraid of helicopters, police, and life itself. When Peter's mother leaves home one day and doesn't return, Pete and his father soon find themselves living hand-to-mouth, estranged from family, and teetering on the brink of homelessness. Based on a real experience, this is a haunting and ultimately redemptive story of illness, love, and a boy's indomitable spirit to survive.

About this title

About the Author:

Elizabeth Fensham lives in England. This is her first book for young readers.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 6-9–As 12-year-old Pete's journal entries begin, he and his father are on the run, hiding out in an unused garden shed behind a house. Is a secret organization really after the man, or is Dad insane? Pete doesn't know–his life has been like this for years, hiding from helicopters and constantly moving. Staying firmly within the experience and understanding of a preteen, Fensham keeps the tension mounting as the boy goes back and forth between the tedium of his present life and his recollections of earlier days, when things were better. Only when he and his father are apprehended and Pete goes into foster care does he begin to see that other adults are not frightened all the time and that something is indeed wrong with his father. Australian slang is prominent, but the meaning of most of the words is clear in context. The pace slows occasionally in the book's first half, reflecting Pete's boredom in confinement, but brighter days are promised as he and his father finally begin to receive the care they deserve. Once through the initial strangeness, students will find this a worthy and thoughtful look at mental illness and the strength of family bonds.–Coop Renner, Hillside Elementary, El Paso, TX
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About this edition

• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's Books
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 1582349819
• ISBN 13: 9781582349817
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 144