Buddy

Description

Like so many kids, Joshua works hard at appearing to be just your average 12-year old. He does OK at school. He has plenty of friends although he hasn't had a best friend since he was five years old. And he's very good at sport. Buddy is an account of six weeks in the spring he turns thirteen, and in his candid, humorous, narrative he reveals the real Josh - a sensitive, likeable but troubled boy, who has made an art form of seeming just like everyone else and keeping the warring elements of his life safely apart. Like his dad's new relationship with his live-in partner Suzanne... like the intense rivalry between himself and Hank Hunter, the school golden boy . . . like his intense fear of water. And his biggest, most painful secret of all. . . Buddy.Buddy explores issues of compelling relevance to boys and girls on the threshold of adolescence: the pressure to conform and the strength it takes to be different; loyalty; honesty, courage and love. These significant issues are handled within an exciting and absorbing story by a writer of consummate skill and sensitivity, managing the very difficult task of talking about serious topics without preaching, or losing the magic of a brilliant story superbly told. And it makes you cry.Vicky Jones was born in Zambia, and lived for many years in South Africa, where she worked as a gemmologist after completing her degree at the University of Cape Town. She has also had experience in the publishing industry in South Africa, where she was Desk-top Publishing and Promotions manager for McGraw-Hill. Since 1995 she and her husband and two sons have lived in Christchurch where she is currently working as a free-lance marketing consultant. While books and writing have been central to her life for many years, Buddy is her first novel.Winner, New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards (Junior Fiction Section, and Best First Book Section), 2003

Awards

Winner of New Zealand Post Children's Book Award: Junior Fiction 2003.