A Little Drop of Wayne by David McRobbie

This is the fourth book in the Wayne series for adolescent readers. This story relates the youthful adventures of Wayne who tries to form a gang that doesn't really come together. He confronts bullies and learns that life can be hard and hazardous. The book is made up of ten stories and these are overflowing with embarrassing moments when Wayne wishes that the ground would just open up and swallow him. It is part of a television series. I have never heard iof this series so would appreciate hearing from someone who has.

Why the Whales Came by Michael Morpurgo

This story revolves around the curse which was put on the people of Samson, one of the Isles of Scilly, and how two young children and the supposedly mad Birdman of Bryher manage to redeem the curse some thirty years later. It is not a dark and sinister story about evil curses, rather it is a gentle story about friendship and trust, and it all comes about in the very beginning because of a pair of aggressive swans. The breeding pair drive Gracie and her close friend Daniel away from their favourite local pond where they sail their model ships. In their search for some safe flat water the children find themselves playing on the forbidden Rushy Beach. It is set in 1914. There has been a movie adapted from book entitled When the Whales Came, but I haven't been able to get my hands on it; well not yet. The cover of this novel is a still from the movie.