A moment outside the school gates

Anna and Sam are on their way to school when a boy reaches for a stone. In the moments that follow, Anna must decide how to protect her younger brother.
This short illustrated preview offers a glimpse into The Catcher Man: The Price of Reckoning.

Scroll down to follow the scene.

A schoolboy picks up a stone beside a timber fence. Below, a satchel lies in the dust. Anna reaches towards her unsettled brother and asks, “Sam?” going to cry, or run, convict?”
A stone lifted from the dust. A dropped satchel. Anna turns towards her brother.
Three boys taunt Anna and Sam. Anna steps between them and her brother, who wears brown trousers. A close-up shows Sam gripping
Anna steps between Sam and the boys. Behind her, his hand catches her sleeve.
A boy says, “That’s it. Stand there…” Anna holds his gaze with Sam behind her. A closing card names The Catcher Man by Leonard Phillipson and invites newsletter subscriptions at leonardphillipson.au.
Anna holds her ground. What happens next belongs to the story.

Founded in 1831, The King’s School welcomed its first pupils in George Street, Parramatta, in February 1832. Its early history provides a backdrop to Anna and Sam’s fictional encounter in The Catcher Man.

Kings School, Parramatta. Author/Creator: Harvey, John Henry 1855-1938 photographer. Date: [ca 1880-ca 1934].

Text reproduced from “The King’s School, Parramatta,” Wikipedia, by Wikipedia contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 14 October 2026.

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