Boss of the Pool

Shelley, bored, left the ball floating about in the water. Ben waited hopefully, his smile fading. ‘You bad girl, Kerry,’ he said at last. ‘You not my girlfriend any more!’
‘I never was!’ Shelley said indignantly. ‘Get lost!’
But he stayed at the window.

Shelley is angry about having to go to work with her mother, who has a job in a hostel for children with intellectual disabilities. Why can’t she stay home by herself or stay with one of her girlfriends? Even the promise of the indoor pool to herself is ruined by the presence of Ben, the boy who watches from a safe distance and can’t even say her name correctly. Gradually Shelley moves from self-absorption to a keen interest in helping Ben overcome his terrible fear of water and teaching him to swim. An engaging story about trust, overcoming prejudice and seeing beyond yourself.