The Last Pebble
Alex Horne
Walker Books

This story is set in the seaside town of Bognor on the south coast and we follow a boy named Trader who struggles to make real friends at school but is fascinated by rocks and loves spending time beachcombing with his Grandfather.

One day Trader finds a very special pebble associated with which there seems to be a mystery. Grandfather helps him clean it up but it appears that the old man knows more about the pebble than he’s letting on. “This stone will change everything,” he tells Trader as the two part company for the day. There are only a few days before Trader leaves his primary school but he manages to get through it and starts to forge a friendship with Charlotte, a relative newcomer to his school. Hopefully she will be interested in his find, Trader says to Grandpa who seems far, far away.

The next day Trader shows the pebble to Charlotte but there’s no time to tell her all about it, something he wants to do. Meanwhile Grandpa disappears returning a few days later with a piece needed to fix the stone tumbler.

Then when Charlotte and Trader are on the beach together, Charlotte shows Trader a bottle that she’s found containing a message. Who could have left such a strange message and the subsequent ones? The Mystery deepens. Can the two friends get to the bottom of it?

A compelling story, gentle and thought-provoking, a story of family, friendship and loyalty that is beautifully crafted and ideal for summer reading.