When his alcoholic mother doesn't come home from work one night, Laurence Roach is terrified that child services will separate him from his brother. So Laurence keeps her disappearance secret while trying to track her down. Fifteen-year-old Laurence Roach just wants a normal life, but it's far from easy with his little brother who acts like a dog and their depressed alcoholic mother. If Laurence can win the luxury vacation in a local radio contest, he's certain his mum will finally be happy again. Then one night she doesn't come home from work, and Laurence must face the reality that she might not come back at all. Terrified that child services will separate him from his brother, Laurence does whatever he can to keep their mother's disappearance a secret. For two weeks, he spins a web of complicated lies to friends, neighbors, and the authorities-even dressing up in his mother's clothes to convince everyone she's still around. But Laurence can't hide the truth forever. He begins a desperate search for her, and that's when the real trouble starts in this powerful story about family, forgiveness, and hope. AGES: 12 to 18 AUTHOR: Dave Cousins (Hertfordshire, England) began his writing career at age ten with an attempt to create a script for Fawlty Towers. His short story "The Floodlight Man" was broadcast on BBC Radio Five Live and read by Dave himself.
