Dan lives in a caravan park with his mum, who often isn’t there. Times are tough, food is scarce, and all he wants to do is to escape his life — his school, his home, his town.
When Sima’s family discover they are about to be deported back to danger, they try to escape, fearing for their lives. In the chaos, Sima loses her family and ends up hiding in the local school in town, where Dan finds her.
Dan’s heard all the stories about people from detention centres. He knows aiding an escapee means big, big trouble if he gets caught. But he also knows that Sima has done nothing wrong. She just wants to find her family and be safe.
Dan wants to listen to what his heart is telling him is right. Sima desperately wants to trust Dan, but doesn’t know if she can. Together, they work to evade the armed police hunting them and get Sima to safety, but it’s no easy task with patrol cars circling and officers scouring the town for escapees.
Detention is a heart-breaking, thought-provoking junior novel about courage, fear, friendship and empathy.
Bancks delivers real and raw drama and adventure that will get kids thinking about important issues. It’s a book that explores right and wrong, good and bad, and every grey area in between. It’s about learning to listen to that important voice inside you, when it tells you to do something when others might do nothing.
The novel is action packed and fast-paced, but teamed with brilliant and authentic characters, the story is deep and real. It’s a story that won’t be easily forgotten.
Title: Detention
Author: Tristan Bancks
Publisher: Penguin, $16.99
Publication Date: 2 July 2019
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780143791799
For ages: 12+
Type: Middle Grade