Stone Cold (Swindells novel) facts for kids
First edition
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| Author | Robert Swindells |
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| Cover artist | Paul Hunt |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Young adult fiction, realist novel, horror |
| Publisher | Heinemann |
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Publication date
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1993 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
| Pages | 132 pp (first edition) |
| ISBN | 0-241-13300-9 |
| OCLC | 31627736 |
Stone Cold is a realistic story for young people written by Robert Swindells. It was published in 1993 by Heinemann. The book takes place on the streets of London. The story is told from two different viewpoints: Link's and Shelter's. Link is a young man who has recently become homeless and is learning to live on the streets. Shelter is a former soldier who is upset after losing his job.
Libraries around the world have Stone Cold in different languages. These include Danish, German, Catalan, Basque, Slovenian, and Korean.
Contents
The Story of Stone Cold
Link's Journey to London
The story begins when Link's dad leaves his family for someone else. Later, Link's mom finds a new boyfriend named Vince. Vince isn't very nice and eventually locks Link out of their home. Link tries staying with his older sister, Carole, but she has her own boyfriend. For reasons not fully explained, Link can't go to his father.
So, Link leaves his hometown of Bradford, Yorkshire. He travels to London and ends up living on the streets. Life there is very tough. Luckily, he meets a new friend named Ginger, who is also homeless. Ginger teaches Link how to survive in the city.
Shelter's Dangerous Plan
Meanwhile, in another part of London, a former army officer calls himself Shelter. He is very angry about seeing homeless people, or "dossers," everywhere. He sees them as enemies of his country. Shelter comes up with a terrible plan to get rid of them.
He uses tricks and threats to lure homeless people to his house. Sometimes he promises them food and warmth. Other times, he scares them with threats of the police. Once they are inside, he uses his old army skills to harm them and make them disappear. He is very good at hiding what he does.
Friends and Disappearances
One day, Shelter sees Link and Ginger together. Soon after, Ginger disappears. Shelter tricked Ginger into following him by saying Link was at his apartment and badly hurt. Link is very upset and worried about Ginger's absence.
Link finds comfort with a mysterious young woman named Gail. She is new to the streets and wants Link to teach her how to survive. Link keeps searching for Ginger, but he doesn't know that Shelter is also watching him. Soon, Link finds himself in a very dangerous situation.
Link and Gail learn from another homeless man, Nick, that many other homeless people have gone missing. Nick says they were all last seen with an old man, who is Shelter. Link and Gail decide to secretly watch Shelter while they are on the streets.
Link in Danger
Gail asks many questions and often acts suspiciously. She spends a lot of time in a telephone booth. Link leaves her for a few minutes to look for Shelter. Shelter is pretending to look for his new cat, Sappho. He found the cat on the streets and uses it to seem kind.
Link believes Shelter's act and helps him find the cat. Shelter then invites Link inside his house. Link forgets to be suspicious and follows him. Once inside, Shelter attacks Link. Link then realizes that Shelter was the one who harmed Ginger and all the other homeless people.
Shelter tries to hurt Link very badly. But Gail has called the police, and they arrive just in time. The police take Shelter away.
The Truth Revealed
Gail tearfully tells Link that she is not actually homeless. She is a journalist working undercover. She wanted to experience what it felt like to be homeless for her story. Gail and a cameraman, who has just arrived, leave after giving Link some money.
The book ends with Link back on the streets by himself. He thinks it's strange that Shelter is caught and faces serious consequences for harming many people, yet Shelter now has a roof over his head and regular meals. Link is still homeless.
Television Series
In 1997, Stone Cold was made into a television series. It had the same title as the book. The show starred James Gaddas, Peter Howitt, and Elizabeth Rider. It was produced by Andy Rowley. The series was nominated for a Best Children's Drama Award at the BAFTA awards. This short series was shown on Scene on BBC Two.
