Sophie Gee

He acts as team captain, striker and ref in one.

He cheats and bullies the boys.

He gives the two teams the names of major football teams in the U.K.,

He puts Billy in goal and he becomes convinced that Billy lets a goal in on purpose.

In revenge, at the end of the game, he forces Billy to take a freezing cold shower in one of the most traumatic scenes in the novel.

During lunch, Billy decides that he's not going to place his brother's bet as he thinks the horse isn't going to win and he spends the money instead on treats for himself.

As bad luck would have it, both of Judd's horses come in and they were at quite long odds so he would have won a lot of money.

Judd goes to the betting shop to collect his winnings and discovers that Billy never placed the bet, depriving him of £10.

The final scenes of the book take place in the family home

with Judd hell-bent on revenge.

And you've kept back the spoilers, Juddy.

No, no.

So when I read that scene, Jonty, it was like a time capsule.

Although I was at primary school, well, Billy's at secondary school, but I was at primary school in the 1970s, not in the 1960s.

But I was transported to the toilet block of my elementary school in Sydney.

It was exactly that scene.

The only detail that he missed out was the obligatory toilet that had been filled with rolls of toilet paper.

Which would then...

Which would then swell up as they became saturated with water blocking the toilet, causing the toilet to spill out all over the floor.

You might be right.