How Hedley Hopkins did a dare, robbed a grave, made a new friend who might not really have been there at all, and while he was at it committed a terrible sin which everyone was doing even though he didn't know it - Paul Jennings

12 year-old Hedley Hopkins has been in Australia for a whole year, but he's finding it hard to fit in. Confusing things keep happening - he can't stop thinking about naked ladies, strange things are happening in his nether regions and the compulsory chat about the facts of life leaves him baffled and embarrassed. So when Ian Douglas issues Hedley with a dare and promises that if he fulfils it, Hedley Hopkins will be a fully fledged member of his gang, Hedley says yes. But he doesn't know quite what he's let himself in for. First, he has to steal a skull from the grave outside the loony bin. Then he has to deal with the 'loonies' - actually a group of kids with learning disabilities, one of whom wants to be his friend. And when the skull starts giving him advice, Hedley knows he's in big trouble. He has to find a way to make peace with the other kids - and return the skull to its rightful owner, before it's too late.