Not Bad For a Bad Lad
By Michael Morpurgo
Paperback
When a young boy gets a reputation for being naughty at school, he reacts by being the bad lad that everyone expects.
Leaving school at fourteen, he becomes a thief and eventually ends up in Hollesley Prison. But Mr Alfie, the stable manager, decides to give the boy a chance, letting him look after the horses.
It turns out that his skill with horses saves him from a life of crime: on leaving prison, he manages to get a job working with horses in the army, and eventually achieves his dream of becoming a drum major.
