Blacklands by Belinda Bauer
Monday, February 15th, 2010 Check the catalog for this item.
Steven Lamb is an unhappy 13 year old living on the moors in England. He is bullied at school and ignored at home. His Grandmother is obsessed with her son who was killed by a serial killer 18 years ago. However, his body was never found
Steven hopes that if he can find the body it can bring peace to his Grandmother. He also hopes that his Mother, who keenly feels the loss of her brother and the affection of her Mother since that day, will come to love Steven.
So Steven begins to dig on the moor for the body of his Uncle. Some of the bodies of the children were found there and Steven is convinced his Uncle will also be found there.
When Steven gets discouraged he writes to the serial killer for help in locating the body. The serial killer is thrilled to get the letter from the boy and begins a very cryptic correspondence. When things don’t go as well as planned for the serial killer, he plans his escape to meet the unsuspecting 13 year old.
This is a wonderful character study of a boy looking for love from his family amidst all of the sadness.