Roy has moved to an area where he doesn’t know anyone. He wants a bike more than anything, but Mum is broke and having trouble coping. So Roy gets an early-morning paper round to earn the money himself. He is helped out by Ringer, whose dad is a jailed bank robber. Every morning after the round they go to Uncle’s greasy spoon cafe, where Uncle, when he is in the mood, bursts into song. But Roy loses the paper round and his world falls to bits.
Then he gets the chance to steal a bike…
Fast Food is an urban fairy tale featuring Billy, a young lad who hates running, the prime reason being his brother Joe, who is a champion athlete. They live in a tower block where Dad, the caretaker spends all his time fixing the lift and eating fry ups cooked by Mum. She has Billy on an extreme diet to cut his weight down to that of her darling Joe.
His only ally is Grandad who has plans for a fleet of peanut vendors on bicycles. He and a friend are going to run as giant peanuts in the London Marathon to advertise the new venture. Billy wants no part of this, what with Joe with a good chance of winning, a massive crowd by the roadside, and Mum and Dad watching on TV, forget it! But then he does a good deed and gets magic shoes…
Derek Smith 