Multi-award-winning Patrice Lawrence's first contemporary middle grade novel is a page-turning mystery and exploration of fractured families, long-buried secrets and the power of friendship, told with warmth and compassion.

“[An] instantly gripping, funny and moving 9+ story by an outstanding contemporary author.” - The Guardian

“The prize-winning Patrice Lawrence's latest book packs in so much, a lesser author would struggle to manage it all.” - The Observer

“A classroom-friendly story for younger teenagers.” - The Times Children's Book of the Week

12 year old Ayrton and his mum have recently moved back to the area they lived in when he was a baby – the area they fled after a local woman stole him away from Mum when she was out shopping, thankfully returning him after only a short time had passed.

Mum is suffocatingly over-protective of Ayrton, who just wants to be a normal boy. At his new school, he discovers that his new friend Stanley is linked to him in an astonishing way: Stanley's grandma was the woman who took Ayrton while his mum's back was turned. She became estranged from her own family because of her actions and Stanley has never known her.

Together the boys decide to track down the grandma – now a famous artist with the Banksy-style pseudonym Vixen – but will Ayrton's mother can get answers to the questions that torment her, and will Ayrton be able to live a more free life?

• Stunning storytelling – by turns powerful and witty – from an exceptional writer for young people


• A page-turning mystery with real depth


• An exploration of fractured families, long-buried secrets and the power of friendship, told with warmth and compassion.