Wipe out

The work is a novel for 9-12 year old children. Its originality consists in the way it deals with the death of a parent and the subsequent shifts in family power and loyalty in a positive and upbeat manner. It is significant because of its powerful imagery of surfing and the sea. The writer's objectives were to take the reader through the first overwhelming stage of grief. It draws on personal experience of loss and children's own narratives and journals. It is recommended by CRUSE, the grief charity and is used by many doctors and child psychologists in grief counselling. It was widely reviewed, most very favourable, and selected as the Sunday Times Book of the Week. Paperback June 2003. Hachette French translation 2005. Filmed for BBC Education (Barbara Cox won BAFTA for adaptation December 2004).,