The Simple Things

Description

Stephen has never met his great aunt Lola, and he doesn't want to. She sends him money twice a year and he always writes back, but Lola is almost eighty - what will they have to talk about? When they arrive at her house, Stephen discovers she's grumpy, scary and really, really old. He wants to turn around and go home, but his mum says they have to stay until Lola's birthday - three weeks away. Left to his own devices, Stephen learns about the simple things in life - like fishing, and cricket, and climbing trees - and the importance of family. Soon Lola entrusts Stephen with a great secret, and he realises that Lola has become more important to him than just an aunt who sends him money - she's now a friend.

Bill Condon was born in 1949 and lives with his wife Dianne (Di) Bates in New South Wales, Australia. He left school at the first chance he got and worked in an assortment of jobs that did not require much in the way of qualifications. A chance meeting with Larry Rivera, the editor of a local weekly newspaper, led Bill into a career as a journalist. Throughout those years Bill was also writing for children, following the example of his wife Di, who is a well-known children's author. Nearly twenty years ago Bill left journalism to devote himself full-time to writing for children. When not writing, Bill plays tennis, golf, pool and Scrabble, but hardly ever at the same time. Bill was the winner of the inaugural Prime Minister's Literary Award in 2010 for Young Adult Fiction for his book Confessions of a Liar, Thief and Failed Sex God.