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The Den
Marshall feels the need to escape because things are so tough at home. Rory is just happy it’s the first day of the summer holidays. While out on their bikes they stumble across a long-forgotten underground bunker at the edge of the woods.
This is the den, and going down inside will stretch their friendship to its limits. There will be rivalry and betrayal, but can wrecked relationships be saved before the summer has even begun?
This is the den, and going down inside will stretch their friendship to its limits. There will be rivalry and betrayal, but can wrecked relationships be saved before the summer has even begun?
- GenresYoung AdultContemporary
103 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 3, 2023
3 people are currently reading
44 people want to read
About the author
Keith Gray
45 books57 followersKeith Gray grew up in and around Grimsby and Cleethorpes on the east coast of England and decided he'd better take his writing ambition seriously after achieving 0% in his accountancy exams. His debut, 'Creepers', was published when he was only 24 and was shortlisted for the Guardian Fiction Prize. Since then his books have either won or been shortlisted for awards all over the world including the Sankei Cultural Publishing Prize of Japan, the American Library Association Best Books (YA) and the Booktrust Teenage Prize. In the UK his bestselling novel 'Ostrich Boys' was shortlisted for the prestigious CILIP Carnegie Medal, the Costa Children's Book Award and won the Scottish Children's Book Awards, and has been adapted for the stage. Keith has been a reviewer for both the Guardian and Scotsman newspapers. In 2017 he moved to live in Vienna, Austria, with his partner, their daughter and a parrot called Bellamy. Keith is a co-founder of Sunday Writers’ Club.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
July 30, 2023
It's the first day of the school holidays and best mates Marshall and Rory are riding hard out on their bikes. Rory is just enjoying freedom from school but Marshall is enjoying the day's freedom from everything.
It's tough at home for Marshall. His dad, a could've-been-famous guitarist, swings from anger to melancholy and every emotion in between, now that his days of being a roadie for rock bands are over and he can hardly hold his own guitar any longer. His hands were badly injured and he's struggled to move on with his life.
Now for Marshall, with only his Dad in the house, life at home is something to escape.
When Rory finds something in the dirt in the scant remains of a bulldozed house, Marshall finally sees a real place he can run to when his father gets too much. It's a bunker, long forgotten and hiding in the dirt. He and Rory are excited at all the time they can spend in it, and future plans are made.
But when Rory suggests showing others, Marshall sees red. He'd fallen out with Rory's other friends and even the thought of sharing this place with anyone else is impossible. But soon Marshall falls out with Rory too, and then Rory does the unthinkable.
Marshall needs this place. This Den. He has to have it no matter what. Even if it comes down to fighting his best friend.
With a new ally at his side, Marshall knows what he must do.
Another gritty, authentic read from a master of teen male dynamics, The Den is full of pure, raw feelings, roaring under the surface of its main characters. A tough time at home makes a hidden bunker the perfect place to escape to. This sudden solution to a long-time problem is so good, that there is nothing more important than keeping it a secret, driving tensions high.
But exciting secrets are always broken eventually, and this betrayal comes swiftly, bringing anger, hurt and swinging fists. This whirl of emotions and confusion is clear on the page and there doesn't seem to be a way out of it. But an answer does come - brilliantly set up and believable, with hope for the future of all the characters.
A powerful tale of male relationships within both friends and family.
Author – Keith Gray
Dyslexic Title / Reading Age 8 – Interest Age Teen
It's tough at home for Marshall. His dad, a could've-been-famous guitarist, swings from anger to melancholy and every emotion in between, now that his days of being a roadie for rock bands are over and he can hardly hold his own guitar any longer. His hands were badly injured and he's struggled to move on with his life.
Now for Marshall, with only his Dad in the house, life at home is something to escape.
When Rory finds something in the dirt in the scant remains of a bulldozed house, Marshall finally sees a real place he can run to when his father gets too much. It's a bunker, long forgotten and hiding in the dirt. He and Rory are excited at all the time they can spend in it, and future plans are made.
But when Rory suggests showing others, Marshall sees red. He'd fallen out with Rory's other friends and even the thought of sharing this place with anyone else is impossible. But soon Marshall falls out with Rory too, and then Rory does the unthinkable.
Marshall needs this place. This Den. He has to have it no matter what. Even if it comes down to fighting his best friend.
With a new ally at his side, Marshall knows what he must do.
Another gritty, authentic read from a master of teen male dynamics, The Den is full of pure, raw feelings, roaring under the surface of its main characters. A tough time at home makes a hidden bunker the perfect place to escape to. This sudden solution to a long-time problem is so good, that there is nothing more important than keeping it a secret, driving tensions high.
But exciting secrets are always broken eventually, and this betrayal comes swiftly, bringing anger, hurt and swinging fists. This whirl of emotions and confusion is clear on the page and there doesn't seem to be a way out of it. But an answer does come - brilliantly set up and believable, with hope for the future of all the characters.
A powerful tale of male relationships within both friends and family.
Author – Keith Gray
Dyslexic Title / Reading Age 8 – Interest Age Teen
March 9, 2025
picked up this very short book to help get myself back into reading, definitely did the trick!! i might have to read novellas more often :)
August 28, 2023
Marshall – like his sister, named after a rock guitar amp – and his best friend are enjoying a morning on their bikes to start the summer holiday, when they agree to go to the old, abandoned cottage they used to try and dare each other into when younger. Finding the thing entirely razed, they spot a trapdoor leading down from one of the rooms they'd never risked entering. They find a grubby, mostly empty room, with a gnarly old bed and armchair and little else – beyond the feeling from Marshall this could be a perfect hideaway, a bolt-hole when he needs it to escape the damaged wreck of a father he lives with. But just because nobody has been in there for years, doesn't mean it will stay a secret like Marshall wants…
Now, I don't normally appreciate "daddy issue" plots, but this has so much going for it I can only applaud the way it deals with everything. There's certainly a really strong evocation of tweenaged boys and their ins and outs, their being best friends one day and enemies the next. And I loved the way the local dog kennels was an old WW2 airstrip – just the seemingly needless touches like that smack of a lot of realism and truth in this author's hands. The best quality here, as I mentioned, is that it has so many aspects there could be copious readers and they'd all come up with their own elevator pitches for this – is it a kid getting overly angry with life because of his father, is it the way the world shows you a wondrous secret location and then proves the implausibility of keeping it for yourself? Is it about the dad who could have done with the place himself for a private den, by the sound of it?
There is more that has to be said, as well – this being a Barrington Stoke book means it comes with added elements. Very nicely judged as readable for eights and up – mentions of swear words being used (and invented) are just that – mentions of them being used, as opposed to the actual use of them – this is intended for those readers much closer to the heroes' thirteen years. Dyslexia is never the only reading issue that can be helped by the reading age being deliberately lower than the target readers' age, and BS – they of the most unfortunate initials – can cater for them all. They will be seen to be reading a real teen's book, but this is just a real book for all, when all is said and done – a classy look at the darkness behind the fantasy of teenaged escapism. It's a really likeable achievement – four and a half stars.
Now, I don't normally appreciate "daddy issue" plots, but this has so much going for it I can only applaud the way it deals with everything. There's certainly a really strong evocation of tweenaged boys and their ins and outs, their being best friends one day and enemies the next. And I loved the way the local dog kennels was an old WW2 airstrip – just the seemingly needless touches like that smack of a lot of realism and truth in this author's hands. The best quality here, as I mentioned, is that it has so many aspects there could be copious readers and they'd all come up with their own elevator pitches for this – is it a kid getting overly angry with life because of his father, is it the way the world shows you a wondrous secret location and then proves the implausibility of keeping it for yourself? Is it about the dad who could have done with the place himself for a private den, by the sound of it?
There is more that has to be said, as well – this being a Barrington Stoke book means it comes with added elements. Very nicely judged as readable for eights and up – mentions of swear words being used (and invented) are just that – mentions of them being used, as opposed to the actual use of them – this is intended for those readers much closer to the heroes' thirteen years. Dyslexia is never the only reading issue that can be helped by the reading age being deliberately lower than the target readers' age, and BS – they of the most unfortunate initials – can cater for them all. They will be seen to be reading a real teen's book, but this is just a real book for all, when all is said and done – a classy look at the darkness behind the fantasy of teenaged escapism. It's a really likeable achievement – four and a half stars.
August 2, 2023
The follow up to The Climbers with Barrington Stoke for Keith Gray. I really enjoyed The Climbers so was grateful to Poppy at Barrington stoke for this early copy.
Marshall and Rory have been friends since primary school. They were friends with Trev and Sam too but Marshall and Trev had a fall out, leaving Trev with a broken nose! Today they were going out on their bikes when they decided to go see Skelter Cottage which Rory said had been knocked down, but it wasn't a pile of rubble there was nothing there. Well almost nothing. The boys noticed a handle on a trap door. They pulled and revealed a long forgotten room. For Marshall this was the Escape he needed. He could come up here and no one would know, no one except Rory.
Marshall wants to escape from his Dad - who he describes as crying or shouting. Music blaring at all times, he was a roadie for bands until the accident that shattered both his hands. Now Mum had gone and Laney (Marshall's sister was at Uni with no intention of returning other than the occasional visit). Dad works at Crikey's Dog Hotel, and he wants Marshall to invite Greg, the owners son, to play (except teenage boys don't 'play').
When Rory decides after their first sleepover that he wants to tell Trev and Sam, there's a row and it ends with Marshall damaging Rory's bike.
Marshall then gets lots of nasty texts from Rory...and pictures of them all in The Den.
How does he fix it, well not in the right way....until Laney manages to get Dad to intervene, and in a way that surprises Marshall.
Family differences, teenage boys and a secret den make for a very good novel. And one outside my normal reading age!
TA, ESCP
Marshall and Rory have been friends since primary school. They were friends with Trev and Sam too but Marshall and Trev had a fall out, leaving Trev with a broken nose! Today they were going out on their bikes when they decided to go see Skelter Cottage which Rory said had been knocked down, but it wasn't a pile of rubble there was nothing there. Well almost nothing. The boys noticed a handle on a trap door. They pulled and revealed a long forgotten room. For Marshall this was the Escape he needed. He could come up here and no one would know, no one except Rory.
Marshall wants to escape from his Dad - who he describes as crying or shouting. Music blaring at all times, he was a roadie for bands until the accident that shattered both his hands. Now Mum had gone and Laney (Marshall's sister was at Uni with no intention of returning other than the occasional visit). Dad works at Crikey's Dog Hotel, and he wants Marshall to invite Greg, the owners son, to play (except teenage boys don't 'play').
When Rory decides after their first sleepover that he wants to tell Trev and Sam, there's a row and it ends with Marshall damaging Rory's bike.
Marshall then gets lots of nasty texts from Rory...and pictures of them all in The Den.
How does he fix it, well not in the right way....until Laney manages to get Dad to intervene, and in a way that surprises Marshall.
Family differences, teenage boys and a secret den make for a very good novel. And one outside my normal reading age!
TA, ESCP
November 12, 2023
Marshall is having a tough time at home. When he and his best friend stumble across an old shelter, it becomes Marshall's only way to escape. This can be his place, his den. However, things don't go to plan as his best friend lets others into the den. Filled with fury, Marshall must do whatever it takes to reclaim his safe space.
Things I liked:
- Interesting story
- Interesting characters
- Engaging writing
Things I didn't like:
- Ending perhaps a bit too neat
- I wanted more
Barrington Stoke books are great for readers who are reluctant or have dyslexia. They get you into the story fast so you can experience the highs and lows. But by all means, these small books don't lack depth. You can get the full reading experience. Keith is great at writing these books. His engaging style, relatable characters, and interesting plots will hook you throughout.
This book definitely had the scope to be a much larger book and I would have loved to explore it more. However, this was still a great read!
Things I liked:
- Interesting story
- Interesting characters
- Engaging writing
Things I didn't like:
- Ending perhaps a bit too neat
- I wanted more
Barrington Stoke books are great for readers who are reluctant or have dyslexia. They get you into the story fast so you can experience the highs and lows. But by all means, these small books don't lack depth. You can get the full reading experience. Keith is great at writing these books. His engaging style, relatable characters, and interesting plots will hook you throughout.
This book definitely had the scope to be a much larger book and I would have loved to explore it more. However, this was still a great read!
August 20, 2024
Marshall is desperate to escape, his low life dad who makes everything worse. So when he and best friend Rory ride up to the Skelter Cottage and find a hatch door hidden in the grounds he thinks he’s found his den. But soon a fight erupts between them and his safe place is no longer just his.
I didn’t like the boys or his dad, they were all so full of rage and anger and none of them were good friends. I hated that they would just rather fight over the place than figure out a solution instead. I did like the concept with this hidden and missed basement that hadn’t been touched or seen. It became their own secret hideout which was honestly really cool and clever.
I wasn’t the biggest fan of this book honestly, i don’t categorise books by gender a lot but this very much felt like a boys book. The things said and done within it, the way it was written, the characters themselves. Though I’m not saying girls couldn’t or even wouldn’t enjoy it but it’s certainly more aimed for teen boys.
I didn’t like the boys or his dad, they were all so full of rage and anger and none of them were good friends. I hated that they would just rather fight over the place than figure out a solution instead. I did like the concept with this hidden and missed basement that hadn’t been touched or seen. It became their own secret hideout which was honestly really cool and clever.
I wasn’t the biggest fan of this book honestly, i don’t categorise books by gender a lot but this very much felt like a boys book. The things said and done within it, the way it was written, the characters themselves. Though I’m not saying girls couldn’t or even wouldn’t enjoy it but it’s certainly more aimed for teen boys.
July 27, 2023
A short story about teenage boys and their friendship.
Marshall is delighted to find a den at the beginning of the summer holidays whilst out exploring with his friends Rory. Things are really difficult for Marshall at home so he’s delighted to have somewhere to go to escape the tension. However when Rory wants to invite their other mates to share it, things begin to unravel.
This story would not be out of place as an incident within a longer story as it felt quite short and straightforward. However as a short standalone read, it also works. I loved the way the author described the relationship between Marshall and his father and the complexity this created between Marshall and his friends - on the one hand disapproving of his own father but feeling the need to defend him to others.
I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Marshall is delighted to find a den at the beginning of the summer holidays whilst out exploring with his friends Rory. Things are really difficult for Marshall at home so he’s delighted to have somewhere to go to escape the tension. However when Rory wants to invite their other mates to share it, things begin to unravel.
This story would not be out of place as an incident within a longer story as it felt quite short and straightforward. However as a short standalone read, it also works. I loved the way the author described the relationship between Marshall and his father and the complexity this created between Marshall and his friends - on the one hand disapproving of his own father but feeling the need to defend him to others.
I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
November 2, 2025
Contemporary fiction for ages 13-18, the book is printed to be dyslexia friendly, and the chapters and book or short, as well. Takes place in the UK. The youth in the book are 13 years old, so the age-range struck me as odd. There is some serious stuff going on, with struggles at home. Marshall isn't good at asking for help or explaining his problems to others. This is probably typical for a 13-year-old boy, and his shame and trying to hide it cause fights and problems with his peers. The ending is hopeful, and a bit abrupt and pat. This is probably fine for the intended audience. I think it should be 11-14 or something, but I think they want older struggling readers to accept that this book is for them, too. I felt this book was written to appeal to males, so it's harder for me to enjoy. That's fine, it wasn't written for me.
November 10, 2023
When Marshall and his best friend Rory discover and old bomb shelter, Marshall is thrilled to have found an escape from home and his dad. But when Rory spills their secret, Marshall feels betrayed and the situation escalates until neither of them can back down and it seems like a catastrophic end to their friendship is inevitable.
Barrington Stoke do these kind of books so well - brief but emotional engaging reads particularly focused on kids with difficult family circumstances. Keith Gray capture the magic of summer holiday freedom and the dynamics of boyhood friendship particularly well. I really enjoyed this one.
Barrington Stoke do these kind of books so well - brief but emotional engaging reads particularly focused on kids with difficult family circumstances. Keith Gray capture the magic of summer holiday freedom and the dynamics of boyhood friendship particularly well. I really enjoyed this one.
November 2, 2025
”Sveket” är den första bok jag läst av den engelska ungdomsförfattaren @keithgraywriting. Den handlar om Marshall 13 år som tillsammans med sin bästa vän hittar ett övergivet skyddsrum på sommarlovets första dag.
Marshall blir överlycklig och ser framför sig att han äntligen hittat en plats dit han kan fly från sin trasiga pappa. Men snart blir Marshall och vännen Rory osams eftersom de inte kan komma överens om skyddsrummet ska vara deras hemlighet eller inte.
Boken är lättläst och definitivt en jag vill sätta i händerna på en ovan eller ung läsare. För trots att språket är avskalat är handlingen fängslande. Rekommenderas!
Marshall blir överlycklig och ser framför sig att han äntligen hittat en plats dit han kan fly från sin trasiga pappa. Men snart blir Marshall och vännen Rory osams eftersom de inte kan komma överens om skyddsrummet ska vara deras hemlighet eller inte.
Boken är lättläst och definitivt en jag vill sätta i händerna på en ovan eller ung läsare. För trots att språket är avskalat är handlingen fängslande. Rekommenderas!
April 1, 2024
I bought this randomly one day and I don't think this was for me. It felt a bit too slow and boring for me. At the same time it was so absurd at certain parts that I really lost interest in the book quick. I think young readers will probably enjoy it more. It was my mistake for not checking. I'm also a little confused because on the back of the book it says that it is "not suitable for younger readers" but I am certain this book aims at exactly that audience? The characters are so young and it felt much younger than YA, so I don't understand who this book is for.
July 23, 2023
Pretty decent, about two younger teenage lads who find a secret basement in a derelict house. i would say that 90% of teenagers would be able to relate to the themes of this book - bikes, falling out with friends, dens, keeping secrets from parents. I'm sure everyone has had a night out where you say you are staying somewhere that you aren't. Nearly all boys will have had an adventure like this. Excellent Barrington stoke goodness. Ideal class reader actually. netgalley arc
October 29, 2024
Marshall and his friend Rory discover a bunker underneath a demolished house and decide to make it their den. Marshall is keen to escape life at home and Rory just wants to hang out and have fun. Things get tricky when Rory invites some other friends to the den without talking to Marshall first. Will their friendship survive? This is a nice, dyslexia friendly, short book good for readers who don't want anything too challenging.
July 25, 2023
Keith Gray and Barrington Stoke have teamed up again to continue their exploration of boys’ relationships and friendships. This time Gray focuses on power dynamics in teen friendships and how difficult it can be to communicate fears and stresses especially when parental relationships are difficult either from being over protective or appearing to be negligent.
A great quick read for KS3 boys.
A great quick read for KS3 boys.
August 3, 2023
At the beginning of their holiday, Marshall and Rory went to the site of Skelter Cottage, thinking that it had been bulldozed. They found out that it was completely gone and they found an old bunker there. Adventures began.
The writing is simple but very succinct. It brings back memories of being a teenager, wanting to hide from your family and then arguing with your friends.
The writing is simple but very succinct. It brings back memories of being a teenager, wanting to hide from your family and then arguing with your friends.
August 4, 2023
This is my story of childhood, if based in a military pillbox on the Northumbrian coast. The story of the value of friendship and growing up. Of excitement. Of the past. Nicely written. Chapters are a beautiful length, particularly for children moving onto bigger books or those who struggle to read.
October 17, 2023
Imagine finding a secret den on the first day of the school holidays, just when an escape is just what you need. A great read for any age reader and all the better for being dyslexia friendly. If you loved The Climbers you'll love this.
May 22, 2024
Really lovely tale of friendship and family. Of the special feeling of your special friend, but how, when you decide to be brave, you can extend that to others. Also, how if you all listen to the big sister/daughter, things can be better!
April 12, 2025
⭐️3.5
this book was good, it was short at only 113 pages. i mostly picked it up because it sounded interesting enough and it would be a quick read to help me get out of a reading slump. it was cute, i think i’m outside if the intended audiences age but i enjoyed it nonetheless.
this book was good, it was short at only 113 pages. i mostly picked it up because it sounded interesting enough and it would be a quick read to help me get out of a reading slump. it was cute, i think i’m outside if the intended audiences age but i enjoyed it nonetheless.
September 1, 2023
Such a natural, convincing read. Perfectly written. A very engaging story of friendship, familyship, conflict, renewal and hope.
September 28, 2023
If you're 11 and more, you'll like it. I did.
February 9, 2024
A fierce short story about a teen boy who dreams of escaping his uneasy home life. The story explores themes of alcohol addiction, trauma, familial separation, and friendship fall outs.
April 15, 2025
The ending wasn’t the best.
September 3, 2023
First day of the summer holidays and Marshall and Rory are out on their bikes, racing each other, when Roy swallows an Insect and they discover a trap door…The den will be a pivotal discovery shaping their friendship, their summer and relationships with friends and family..
From the very first page the reader is pulled into the story, into the friendship and into that glorious sense of adventure and freedom at the beginning of the summer holidays.. I loved the way the author introduces his characters, how he manages to tell us so much in so few words.. Rory wears shorts all summer - ‘from the first day of the the summer holidays until the last rain or shine.’ In contrast Marshall is wearing jeans and ‘the only clean T-shirt I’d been able to find.’ Marshall wants to be as far away from home - from his Dad - as possible. Roy’s Mum frequently calls or texts to check in on him: Marshall’s Dad doesn’t. The introduction left me with two big questions - What is going on at home? What is going to happen at the den?
Gray’s writing is a masterclass. This novel is a mere 113 pages, slim but powerful, the story spills out! Each sentence is loaded with detail. I really loved the use of dialogue which reveals so much about the personalities of the characters and demonstrated the author’s understanding of teenagers
I was whisked back to my teen-age years, to the importance of friendship, to the feelings of riding into a headwind on your bike with no school for 6 weeks, to the power of finding a space that is your own, to the shifting relationships between parents and children as they get older..
I would highly recommend this for adults wanting to relive those childhood summers of long ago when adventure was just around the corner and all it needed was a bike and a great friend, and of course to teenage/young adult readers. This book would be a wonderful tool for discussion in a classroom .
December 30, 2025
This dyslexia-friendly teen book is about a boy who discovers a underground bunker at the start of the dreaded summer holidays.
Marshall isn't looking forward to the summer holidays, being stuck at home with his temperamental father. At the first opportunity, he goes off on his bike with his only friend, Rory. They stumble upon an underground bunker and Marshall is anxious to keep it a secret from everyone else. Rory, on the other hand, wants to share the good news with his other two friends, except Marshall has fallen out with them, and is adamant not to share.
The author has done a great job letting the reader know Marshall's background, which makes it very easy to understand the reasons behind his choices, even if Marshall's friends don't. With outdoor adventures, midnight adventures, dens and discoveries, this book is perfect for its target audience.
Marshall isn't looking forward to the summer holidays, being stuck at home with his temperamental father. At the first opportunity, he goes off on his bike with his only friend, Rory. They stumble upon an underground bunker and Marshall is anxious to keep it a secret from everyone else. Rory, on the other hand, wants to share the good news with his other two friends, except Marshall has fallen out with them, and is adamant not to share.
The author has done a great job letting the reader know Marshall's background, which makes it very easy to understand the reasons behind his choices, even if Marshall's friends don't. With outdoor adventures, midnight adventures, dens and discoveries, this book is perfect for its target audience.
November 22, 2025
Fun, easy read
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews