Rusty and Friends

Rusty and Friends is a book by Marianne Parry. It is a book for children, which deals with a range of important topics such as friendship, bullying, being let down and, ultimately, redemption.

Rusty loves his father and he is heartbroken when he learns that the man he loves, his very own father, is a thief.

Marianne Parry depicts well the conflicts that Rusty feels, on the one had he longs to visit his father in prison with his mother, yet he always feels anxious before and during the visit.

Rusty is bullied at school, yet he has the support and help of his two best friends Willie and Sylvester.

The book has several interweaving plots that cross various generations and sensitively touches on images of race, racism, identify and redemption when, perhaps unexpectedly, Rusty's father proves himself to be a better man than perhaps even he himself realised and something of a heroic figure.

It is a charming book and is ideal for boys and girls and will be a well-received Christmas present.

The book costs £6.99 and is published by Matador as a paperback and also as an e-book.

The ISBN is 978 1784620 363.