Fifteen Days Without a Head Author: Dave Cousins Year of Publication: 2012 Publisher: Oxford University Press Davina Ho

Introduction In the beginning of the story, the reader comes to find out the personalities of most of the main characters. Such as, the reader finds out that Mum is usually always drunk, moody, and irresponsible; on the other hand, Laurence Roach is usually hardworking, sometimes optimistic, and just tired of the situation at hand with his mother being wasted every day. Jay is Laurence’s little six year old brother and he is very active, playful, and stubborn at times. Jay could be defined as a normal, curious six year old that is very frank on how he feels and his opinions.

Introduction cont… The setting at the beginning of this book is at Laurence’s flat in a complex called Parkview Heights which is only three stories high and reeks of fish and chips, and many other odors. The reader learns that Laurence is entered into a radio contest called Baz’s Bedtime Bonanza for a chance to win a two-week all-expenses-paid holiday, or vacation, in the sun by sneaking out and keeping it a secret from his Mum.

Protagonist/Antagonist Protagonist: Laurence Roach- a teenage boy who has a drunk, wasted mother that doesn’t care for them anymore, while he is trying to assure that both him and brother do not split up because of Social Services. Laurence goes to the extreme to keep Nosy Nelly from calling Social Services and taking Jay away. Antagonist Nosy Nelly- an older woman that a neighbor of Laurence and is a very nosy, abrupt, and trouble starting character. She loves finding out information that could be used against someone, or things that could make them uncomfortable.

Protagonist/Antagonist cont… Antagonist Social Services- the organization that evaluates if Mum is capable of taking care of her two sons, legally, if not, Jay and Laurence would be split up and away from Mum; they evaluate the conditions for Jay and Laurence staying with Mum and decide where is an adequate place to home the two boys.

Central Conflict Mum is an alcoholic and she leaves her two sons to fend for themselves for over two weeks with a limited amount of money, no adult supervision, and no sign whatsoever of where she went. Laurence is trying to do everything possible to keep him and his brother together, without letting anyone know their mom is gone. Laurence goes to the extreme to keep what’s left of his family together.

Minor Characters Mina - goes to school with Laurence, helps him babysit Jay while Laurence tries and fixes things, like Laurence’s unofficial understood girlfriend. Jay- Laurence’s brother, the reason why Laurence keeps on going, a six-year-old that likes to pretend he’s Scooby- Doo, very naive

Minor Character cont… Mr. Buchan- Laurence’s English teacher at school, Laurence uses his Scottish accent when on the live radio contest with Baz, is willing to help, but Laurence doesn’t ask him

What Critics Said In this critic review, Sarah says that she was nervous when she first started reading the book, because she was scared that she expected too much from waiting. Turns out, this book blew her expectations out of the water and most definitely surpassed them. She likes the themes that Dave Cousins uses and how he portrays each character. without-head-dave.html without-head-dave.html

What Critics Said cont… (Sarah) … Also, while reading this book, she felt a connection between her and her little brother like Jay and Laurence Roach. She highly recommends this book and hopes to read more of Dave Cousin’s books.

What Critics Said cont (Cristal)… In this critic review, Cristal says that the book is very deep and emotional and that it was a quick and easy read. Also, she summarizes the book and she said that she flew threw the book and finished quite fast. She agrees that the book has lots of humor, but at the same time says the author goes very deep into the thoughts and soul of Laurence Roach. Overall she loved the book and rated it a four star book. without-a-head-by-dave-cousins/ without-a-head-by-dave-cousins/

My Take on the Book Personally, I loved this book. It only took me a few days to read and it was fast pace and definitely a cliff-hanger. The author works really well on capturing the feelings and burdens of each character so that the reader could imagine what it feels like to be in his or her shoes. The book is so intensely thought out, but keeps a heavy, emotional subject light and humorous at times…

My Take on the Book cont… … The characterization of each of the roles in the book makes them feel like they are real characters and so deep. I thought that the author did a wonderful job, and I would definitely recommend this book to anyone else.