Product Description

At the start of his school holidays, Danny Delaney is looking forward to a trouble-free summer. But when his mother returns home one afternoon, flanked by two policemen, he knows that something terrible has happened. Mrs Delaney has accidentally hit a small boy with her car. The boy is in a coma at the local hospital and nobody knows if he will ever wake up. Consumed by guilt, Danny's mother closes herself off, while Danny and his father are left to pick up the pieces of their fractured family. Told in John Boyne's unique style from the point of view of a twelve-year-old boy, "The Dare" is a brilliantly compelling story about how one moment can change a family forever.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #20560 in Books
• Published on: 2009-03-12
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 299 pages

From the Back Cover
At the start of his school holidays, Danny Delaney is looking forward to a trouble-free summer. But he knows that something terrible has happened when his mother returns home one afternoon with two policemen.
There has been an accident. Mrs Delaney has hit a small boy with her car. The boy is in a coma at the local hospital and nobody knows if he will ever wake up.
Danny's mother closes herself off, full of guilt. Danny and his father are left to pick up the pieces of their broken family.
John Boyne tells the story from the point of view of a twelve-year-old boy. The Dare is about how one moment can change a family forever.

About the Author
John Boyne was born in Ireland in 1971. He is the author of six novels, including the international bestseller The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas, which won two Irish Book Awards, was shortlisted for the British Book Award and has recently been made into a Miramax feature film. His novels are published in over 30 languages. He lives in Dublin. www.johnboyne.com

Customer Reviews

A quick read...!
This book is part of the "Quick Reads" series, released to coincide with World Book Day on March 5th.

Danny's mother has knocked a child over, and whilst it was an accident, she blames herself and withdraws from the family. Danny struggles to cope. His father is preoccupied with looking after his mother and his older brother is away travelling around Europe (and after he told Danny he'd be home from University in the holidays) he feels very alone - something has to give. Will Danny and his family ever be the same again...?

Although I believe this book is meant to be aimed at adults, the fact that it's told from the point of view of a 12 year old makes it read like a children's book. I think that after enjoying "The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas" so much, my expectations were quite high, but this book is a gentle easy read, which is the point of this series, so go for it!

Perfect quick read
A well crafted story that is just what it is promised to be - a really quick read. I think it must be hard to write a story that is well composed within the limits of easy language and a few pages - and still make it an interesting story. But I think John Boyne manages to do exactly that. I think the book is suitable for readers from the age of eleven as well as for adults of any age. It is also a good starter's read for those who have English as a second language and want to learn more English. I liked it and I recommend it.