The changeling of the title is Tom Curdie, the product of a Glasgow slum. Thirteen years old, he is the dirtiest and worst-dressed boy in the school and on probation for theft. His teachers admit him to be clever, but only one, Charlie Forbes, sees in his reticence and in his seemingly insolent smile a magnanimity uncanny in a child. He decides to take Tom on holiday with his own family. The effect of this decision is the subject of this powerful book. It is a work that explores one of Jenkins’ most consistent and fruitful themes - the fate that awaits goodness and innocence in the face of growing up and learning to live in our society. It is a moving novel that has confirmed the reputation of an author who has long been regarded by his peers as a major force in British writing.