Hamish, angry, father murdered, mother mugged - victim of the world's troubles, until he meets another victim ... who needs his help.
Hamish is sensible, conscientious, and respectable, friends with the good boys, stays away from the bad ones. When his father is murdered in an act of random violence, Hamish's world turns upside down. Angry and alienated, Hamish begins to lose his tolerant beliefs and is drawn towards racist reactions.
A move to France promises a much needed new beginning, but only builds Hamish's new attitudes as he becomes embroiled in the narrow-minded views of the locals.
But then a boat of north-african refugees founders on the coast and Hamish encounters the sole survivor.
Now his world is turned upside down again, caught between the violence of his past experiences and new realities unfolding in front of him.
Innovative and daring. - Books for Keeps
Rachel Anderson pulls no punches. - Carousel
Inventiveness and a sympathy for human difference. - Philip Pullman, The Guardian
... shows enormous skill in imagining a child's perspective on events bewildering even to adults. - Publishers Weekly
... writes with observation and subtle humour but with no trace of sentimentality. - Sunday Telegraph
... perceptive writing and quietly provocative approach to themes that are far removed from conventionally acceptable topics for young readers. - Stephanie Nettell, Books for Keeps
RED MOON: 'the novel provides sensitive and thought-provoking insights' - Widening Horizons
... a brave novel ... Anderson cleverly has portrayed one of the world's most current debated issues to children in a simple and comfortable way for them to understand ... Red Moon inspires us to acknowledge the suffering of others in cultures different from our own and encourages children to think beyond the boundaries. - Hackwriters