Life in a town in the north of England can be tough on a lad. Especially this lad. His mum is always embarrassing him; his dad is not around; and money is scarce. He falls out of a tree house trying to stop his friends from stealing school test answers -- and winds up with a broken leg. He wins second prize in an art contest -- but the drawing isn't his. And then he finds himself taking sides with a bunch of bullies when a new Jewish boy comes to school. If he doesn't act mean, the bullies will thump him, but he feels so guilty being mean.... No wonder he can't wait to swap. On the school exchange, he'll swap houses for a week with some posh lad from London. Who knows what he'll discover? George Layton brilliantly captures the balancing act of one boy's eleventh year, when he faces up to prejudice, poverty and pride, and unwittingly discovers who he is...and who he isn't.