William is a worrier and very quiet. He goes to check on his mum early each morning, just to make sure she is okay, and he never says much in school. Big Mark is a bully, but also a hyperactive child who sometimes hurts people unintentionally. During swimming class, when William always stays at the side of the pool, Big Mark jumps on top of him and almost drowns him. Much to the surprise of the rest of the class, it is quiet William who comes up with the answer to the bullying. They organise themselves to ignore Big Mark, even when he deliberately hurts someone. And it works. Until, that is, he twigs that it is William who has planned the whole thing. He follows William home and punches him. When he runs off, William follows and sees him bump into a young girl who is pushing a pram by the river, knocking the pram and its baby into the water. It is only at this point that we learn that William can swim expertly, having been taught by his dad, and he rescues the baby. When he meets his mum at the police station, he begins to cry - not about the baby, but for his dad who, we now learn, has died. Big Mark is not a bit grateful that William tells the police the accident was just that - an accident. But William is a hero, and, more importantly, he can now talk about his dad. Sensitive and well written. An easy read.