Rivet Boy by Barbara Henderson

It’s 1888, and 12-year-old John Nicol has got a job at the Forth Bridge construction site. John knows it’s dangerous – four boys have already fallen from the bridge into the river below – but with his father gone, he must provide an income for his family. At first, John gets to stay on land, and he even makes a new friend, Cora, and a squirrel companion, Rusty. Then he’s assigned to a Rivet Gang on the bridge itself. John is terrified of heights, but he’s even more afraid of his new boss, Cain Murdoch, a notorious bully who is determined to get John off the bridge in any way he can …

Based on real people and events, Rivet Boy blends fact and fiction to tell the story of one boy’s role in the building of the iconic Forth Bridge- Scotland’s greatest hand-built wonder.

About the Author: Inverness-based BarbaraHenderson is the author ofhistorical novels includingThe Siege of Caerlaverock, which wonthe Historical Association’sYoung Quills Award for the bestchildren’s historical fiction in2021 and The Chessmen Thief, which was shortlisted in 2022.Barbara shares her home withone teenage son, one long-sufferinghusband and a scruffySchnauzer called Merry.

30 Sep 2025
 

Rivet Boy by Barbara Henderson ISBN 9781923419148