First published 1975
Samuel Miles breaks free from an approved school and flees into the English countryside. The sixteen-year-old must live by his wits in forests and moorlands while authorities hunt for him. Samuel learns to trap rabbits, find shelter, and avoid capture as he makes his way across Devon and Somerset. His journey becomes more than simple escape when he encounters other outcasts and discovers unexpected allies. The boy who earned the nickname Smiler for his perpetual grin faces hard choices about trust, survival, and what kind of person he wants to become. Samuel's flight from institutional life transforms into a deeper quest for belonging and identity in a world that seems determined to contain him.
Genres: fiction, adventure, coming-of-age, young-adult
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Devon, England, Somerset
Period: 20th-century
432 pages · Hardcover · Heinemann