Philip Whitehead

Tom's Journey Philip Whitehead

It's 1992 and the summer holidays have just begun. Tom, a schoolboy who lives in the East End of London, is on his way to tea at his grandmother's house when he sees a curious notice at the bus stop. The bus route, operated by a traditional London bus, is going to be extended - to Bangkok! He manages to persuade his aunt, who is looking after him while mother and father are away, to allow him to ride on the bus, and on a Monday morning he sets off. His journey almost come to an abrupt end in the English Channel, where he is swept off the ferry in a storm. This is just the first of many adventures and narrow escapes in a journey which is rich in incident and where he meets interesting characters and makes new friends. Tom comes to realise that many of his misadventures are connected with the strange looking couple who were travelling on his bus: Crazy Daisy and Legsy Leaven. At first they seemed to be harmless buffoons, but gradually their presence becomes more sinister and eventually it transpires that they are dangerous criminals. Does Tom know too much? The journey develops into a battle of wits as the couple become ever more desperate to eliminate Tom.