A chapter in the life of Mark, an eleven year old boy growing up in the harsh realities of Northern Ireland. Mark is bright enough to win a place at the grammar school. But his energies at this period are concentrated in an area outside school and his home the warfare between his gang, led by the terrifying Shampoo Kid, and the gang 'across the line'. Hostilities build up to a climax as the day for the prearranged battle for the line, a disused railway line in a stretch of wasteland near where Mark lives, approaches. After a tense, mud-bespattered fight the other gang is beaten and scattered, and life for Mark becomes ordinary again as the importance of 'the line' fades to be replaced by the new term, a new school and new friends.</br>With remarkable insight, the writer touches on the many sensitive areas of Mark's life: his relationship with his parents, his peers, and himself. Sam McBratney's familiarity with place and dialogue and his vivid description of the derelict wastelands of Belfast contribute a strong sense of atmosphere.
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