The Convicts

by Iain Lawrence

Book Overview

After seeing his father hauled off to debtor's prison, Tom Tin sets out to take revenge on Mr. Goodfellow, the man responsible for his family's misfortunes. But the fog-filled London streets are... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 038573087X
• ISBN13: 9780385730877
• Release Date: April 2005
• Publisher: Delacorte Press
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.8" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 10 to 14 years
• Grade Range: Grades 5 to 9

Customer Reviews

The best book I have ever read!

This is the best book ever! As soon as I started this book, I couldn't put it down. The great amount of detail and an easy to follow story makes this a great book. But this book is deffinately a 12+ book because it can be dark and gruesome at times. (I'm twelve) I'll be sure to pick up the other two books tommorow.

Page Turner!

I purchased this book for my preteen son and picked it off his shelf this morning...I didn't put it down until I was done. While a younger child could read this book, I would say that, due to the content, it is best suited for the 12 and over group. Loved it and will be out to buy the next 2 books tomorrow. It was moving, disturbing, touching and beautifully spun. Need more!

This book was really good!

This book tells the story of a young boy, Tom Tin, and all of the hardships that he goes through in his life. In the beginning, Tom is forced to move to a very small home because of a man named Mr. Goodfellow. Once they arrive Tom's father is taken to debtors' prison and Tom is forced to take care of his mother, who is depressed and crazy. Tom tries to earn enough money to get his father out of jail and luckily he comes upon a large diamond. Tom loses the diamond in a grave robbery and all he can think about is going back to find it. Tom is knocked unconscious and is thought to be a person called "The Smasher". He even gets sent to a prison boat for "The Smasher's" crimes. While on the boat he meets a young boy named Midgely. All Tom and Midgely think about is escaping. I though this book was a real page turner. I couldn't put it down. The characters are close to my age, so I could tell what they would be feeling at this time in their lives. I really liked the plot and I think that Iain Lawrence had a very good idea when he thought of The Convicts.

The Convicts

The Convicts "Seven years, I thought. I couldn't last that long. Why, I couldn't last the six months the Overseer had hinted at. If Weedle didn't kill me, I would die from sickness, or wither away from the sheer misery of the place. I dragged my feet until Midgely bumped up on my heels. I whispered at him, `Do people escape? Has anyone ever got off?'" This is an excerpt from, The Convicts, by Iain Lawrence, an epic novel of mystery and adventure. In this story Tom Tin, 14, tells about how a man Mr. Goodfellow-who isn't a good fellow at all-ruins Tom's life, and family. It isn't enough that he ran them out of their home and refused to let Tom's father, a captain, sail on any ship but his; Mr. Goodfellow hauls Tom's father off to debtors' prison. Tom sets off after Mr. Goodfellow in hopes of rescuing his father and gets caught up in a tangled web of events that lead him deep into his past. Somewhere in the middle of Tom's misfortunes, he is mistaken by a gang of "urchins" as a fierce criminal, the Smasher. Tom gets thrown into prison during his collision with the Darkey's gang. Tom's saga is so twisted and bizarre that no one in his trial believes him. The judge claims he has seen Tom before, but as the Smasher, and doesn't even let him finish recalling all that happened to him. Tom is sentenced to a fate far worse than death. Iain Lawrence uses serious events that could and often did happen in nineteenth century England to tell the tale of Tom Tin. The Convicts is fast-paced and takes many, sharp, unexpected turns, that enthrall the teens and adults who read it. I highly recommend this book, you will find yourself escaping to a world full of mysterious hardship, and action, especially at sea. Discover how Tom struggles through his disrupted life and unravels a mystery he didn't know existed, in Iain Lawrence's, The Convicts. By: K.J.