Fred is about to start secondary school, one which his parents have chosen for him. He is due to attend The Gains School, the place his father went to; however, Fred would prefer to go to Browtree High which has a much better art department. Fred is desperate to tell his parents (Madeline and John - they don't like being called Mum and Dad) that he doesn't enjoy the sports teams they have him on, and he is desperate to do art, but he doesn't seem to be able to find his voice. Then, on the morning of the first day of term, dressed in his Gains uniform, he finds a Browtree jumper hidden in the bushes next to the bus stop. What should he do? Should he go to Gains as his parents intend, or put on the Browtree jumper and head there?
And this is where the reader comes in. Fred finds it difficult to make decisions in his life; after all his parents make all his decisions for him, from what to eat, what to wear and what to go to school. When faced with making a choice for himself, he becomes paralysed and the choice is handed over to the reader.
And this is how the book continues: any major decision Fred has becomes the responsibility of the reader. Because of this, the plot can go in several different ways and I loved the idea of being able to go back and reread the story, changing the decisions I made for Fred.
I really felt for Fred throughout the book: it is clear that he doesn't feel as though he is the son his parents want, and he struggles with that: where his parents want him to follow in their footsteps, he wants to pursue his love of art. As the book progresses, readers will see that his mum is battling her own struggles (she spends her days cleaning, needs set routines and feels the need to control everything - even Fred's bedroom is decorated to her design and not his) and this seems to consume her time. Fred feels alone and needs a way to develop express himself; depending on which path the reader takes, depends on how Fred learns to do this.
I'm a big fan of Helen's books and you'll find reviews for all four of her previous middle grade books on my blog, so I was delighted when Tina Mories at Scholastic sent me a copy of The Boy With Big Decisions. I was even more delighted when I discovered that it's a book where the reader chooses the plot. I curled up with the book on Sunday morning and spent a delightful morning getting to know Fred. I first decided to let him head to Browtree but I will admit that once I'd finished the first read, I went back and changed the decisions several times - I love the idea of discovering the different ways things could pan out for him (a bit like the film Sliding Doors). It's a great take on a novel and I know that the book is going to be a huge hit in school (I'd love to read it as a class novel to see which way the class would take the story). Full of heart and a great way to look at empathy, The Boy With The Big Decisions is guaranteed to be a big hit with children when it publishes on the 10th April.