The True Story of Spit MacPhee

Winner of the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, 1987

Winner of the Ethel Turner Prize, 1986

Hailed as an Australian *Huckleberry Finn*, *The True Story of Spit MacPhee *is a timeless piece of literature. Originally published in 1986, and set in the 1930s in the fictional Murray River town of St Helen, it captures a time and place with a beautiful balance of realism and nostalgia.

When young Spit MacPhee comes to live with his grandfather, the people of St Helen fear for his future. Fyfe MacPhee is a crazy old man, and barefoot Spit has to fend for himself along the riverbank where they live. While some people feel that Spit can look after himself, others believe he'd be better cared for in a boys' home.

When Fyfe MacPhee dies, Spit becomes the subject of a court case that polarizes the town. But young Spit is a strong and resolute character, and can more than look after himself. When the truth about his life with his grandfather is revealed, no one is left unchanged. *The True Story of Spit MacPhee *is a much-loved, quintessentially Australian novel for readers of all ages.

**James Aldridge was** a multi-award winning Australian author. His 1995 novel *The True Story of Lilli Stubeck *was the Children's Book Council book of the year. His novel *A Sporting Proposition* became the 1975 Disney film *Ride a Wild Pony*. *Spit MacPhee *was adapted into a TV mini-series in 1988. James Aldridge died in early 2015.