Underbed - Max Newgate

"The countless reflections of mybloody face stared back at me from the smashed mirror. Each of them lookedshocked, even horrified, and then my vision blurred as blood mixed with thetears welling up in my eyes. I collapsed on the floor, wondering whether Iwould pass out. As I lay there, slumped against the wall in the boys' toilets,I tried to stifle my sobs. I felt ashamed to be crying; this wasn't part of theplan."

Oscar has a troubled childhood. But so many kids do thesedays, or so he tells himself as he suffers through dailyneglect by his mother. Attempting to remove himself from it, he sleeps underhis bed and wakes in a strange classroom with other children who share his pain- and worse. Together they talk it through in the hope that one day, thingswill get better.

Aimed at 10-12 year olds who might be suffering throughsimilar situations, Underbed dealswith the painful subject with both honesty and hope, with the first personpoint of view allowing the story to be easily accessible to its targetedreader.

Max Newgate is a middle-aged husband and father. With time on his hands, he wanted to write something to give children the opportunity to talk about any abuse they might be suffering. By writing this, his first book, he feels he has "scratched that itch".