Andreas Christou

Kindle customer

Christou’s book is a quick read aimed at tweens and younger teens, which would be a hugely positive addition to school libraries and PSHE sessions. The author clearly writes from a knowledgeable position on County Lines crime, and the part that the rail system and transport police play. A huge positive is the care he takes to describe the loving home from which the protagonist – Fred – hails. I loved the enormous empathy he showed for Fred’s mum, avoiding tired stereotypes and clearly demonstrating how doing everything ‘right’ as a parent can still not be enough, when one or two poor decisions can see a teenager spiral into a truly dangerous and hard-to-fix situation. I shared the book with my 15yo, who said she was willing Fred to make the right choices, and found it alarming how quickly his situation got out of his control. For us, it sparked a really helpful conversation about speaking up when things don’t feel right, trusting the people who care for you even if you think you might be in trouble, and finding the courage to say ‘no’ and walk away when your spidey senses tell you something – or someone – is off. I hope that this book will spark similar conversations in lots of classrooms and at lots of kitchen tables. If it gives even one teen the courage to raise a red flag and walk away from a dangerous situation before it escalates, then it will have been worth all the heart that the author clearly poured into it.

Maria

Amazing book! Fantastically written and brings a tear to your eye as to what could have been. The author brings truth and real life situations to light that in our day to day, we skim over. You never know what someone is going through and the morals of the story here are a real testament of what can happen if one of our dominoes falls in a different direction. A must read !!!

Terri

A fantastic book written by someone who has witness first hand the dangers of misplaced trust. I hope the author goes on to publish more books.

Gigi

‘Do me a Favour’ is a thought- provoking tale of how easy it is to succumb to peer pressure, substance abuse and how social media can play a part in this.

This book needs to be available to all children as a stark lesson on the dangers of trying to fit in, to be liked by others and how drugs can have a devastating effect on your life.
The take away tips at the end are clear, succinct and practical; easily digestible for all ages.

Fred, the main protagonist, takes us on his journey , from being a well-behaved, obedient son to a criminal who loses contact with his Mother due to his criminal activity.

I urge you all to read this book and share with everyone you know- it might just ‘do [you and the people you care about] a favour’.

Prof A. C. Moffat

This is a sad tale of Fred who, by his own mistakes, takes a spiral downwards and becomes a homeless drug addict. Doing someone a favour is the theme of the story as we learn how Fred starts to work for a drug dealer. The ease by which any youngster can become lured into a life of substance abuse is well described as is the effect it has on his home and school life. One thing leads to another as Fred starts to transport drugs across the country – now called County Lines where children are befriended by criminals and then exploited by them. Being a moral story, it ends with the author giving his advice to young people: be careful when someone asks you to do a favour, be wary of peer pressure, and don’t take drugs of abuse as they are illegal and very addictive. A book that should be read by all young people and those who care for them.