Stepping Up

‘The kind of book you need to clear a space for, so you can read it in one satisfying gulp.’

Paula Green, POETRY BOX

When a sporty teen’s leg is crushed in a mountain accident, he has to face new challenges one tiny but huge step at a time.

A fast-paced, powerfully told novel for middle-grade readers about limb loss, resilience and becoming excited about the future again.

What if you took a shortcut below some rocks and your entire life came sliding down?

High on the shingle slopes of Pangonui, 14-year-old Ben cuts below a pile of huge, half-buried boulders. All of a sudden there’s a terrible sound, and a massive rock is tumbling towards him.

In the painful weeks that follow a surgery to remove Ben’s shattered lower leg, his mind returns to the mountain, his impatience, that split-second decision. Will anything ever be ‘normal’ again?

One goal keeps him going: he will finish the climb he started.

‘Hill knows how to draw young readers in and keep them on the edge of their seats . . .’

LINDA THOMPSON