The Stone Balancer

This book is set in a small seaside town in England in the present day. Fin is a quiet, reserved 14-year-old boy. He lives with his sick mother, who worries about him, and distracts himself from his troubles by practicing his hobby of stone balancing, which is balancing pebbles and sea stones to create a sculpture. He decides to sell photos of his
sculptures to raise money for a local guide dog charity. He befriends a girl called Sophie, who spots something unsettling in his photos. When his mother has to go to hospital for a few weeks, his Uncle Calvin comes to stay with him. Fin soon finds out that his uncle has a violent streak and is only there to swindle Fin out of the inheritance he got from his grandfather. Sophie and Fin also try to solve a murder.

The Stone Balancer is an incredible YA book filled with twists and turns. You’ll feel so hooked onto every word that you won’t be able to put it down! If you enjoy murder mysteries this is 100% the perfect book for you. This book is filled with emotion; fear, anger and joy! It’s very well written, the characters are believable, the story never drags as you’re pulled into Fin’s world. The relationships between the characters feel fully believable and the story is very
convincing.

Author John Townsend was a secondary school teacher who’d written over 300 books. Most of them were educational books for young readers. This is his first for young adults book since he gave up teaching as he’s now a full-time
writer. I thought it was a brilliant read and I’d look forward to reading his next YA book.

Cate Reid, teen reviewer