Title The Saturday boy / David Fleming.

It's tough being an 11-year old boy. But for Derek Lamb, in the novel The Saturday Boy, it's really tough being an 11-year old boy whose father is deployed to Afghanistan for the second time, whose mother is depressed, and whose best friend has become his new worst enemy. This debut novel by David Fleming deftly captures the fear, anxiety and helplessness of a child whose parent is away fighting in a war, and who may never return. (cje)