The Den

Keith Gray's The Den is a friendship story for 11 year olds about two boys who find a secret room underground just as the summer holidays begin.

What happens

Marshall wants to be anywhere but home. His dad crushed both his hands in an accident while working for a rock band and can't play his guitar any more. Now he sits in the kitchen with his old CDs blaring, drinking black coffee and swallowing painkillers. One minute he's shouting, the next he's in tears.

So Marshall drags his best mate Rory off on their bikes. Rory wears shorts every day, all summer long, swallows a bee (or a fly, depending who you ask) and wants to google everything.

Out by the woods, where the old "haunted" cottage used to stand, they find a rusty trapdoor. Underneath is a room nobody has touched for years. There's a saggy armchair, a bed with a dent where someone once slept, an empty box of shotgun cartridges and a shelf of crumbling books. Spooky? Rory certainly thinks so!

They sneak back to spend the whole night down there, eating sweets and playing poker for Skittles. Rory reckons it's totally awesome, and Marshall agrees.

And then it goes wrong. Rory wants to let two old mates in on the secret, and one of them broke Marshall's nose at Easter. Marshall wants the den all to himself.

The voice is what makes this. Marshall is funny and sharp, but you can see the hurt leaking out sideways. He calls his dad a loser and can't stand it when anyone else does. It's a very honest look at how trouble at home can spill over onto the people you care about most.

There are a few things to know before you hand it over. Marshall's dad takes far too many painkillers, and at one point he says he wonders how he's still here. There's a fair bit of mild swearing, a fight in the past that left Marshall with a broken nose, and a moment where Marshall lashes out with a screwdriver in a temper. The boys also lie to their parents about where they're sleeping.

For some readers that will feel heavy. For a reader who likes stories about real friendships and real families, it's gripping and very moving.

What to read next

Keith Gray has more village boys and rivalries in The Climbers, which makes a good next read. Sully is the best climber in the village, until a new kid called Nottingham turns up and gets halfway up the trickiest tree in the park on his very first go.