Description
Multi-award-winning author Brian Conaghan's first book for 10+ readers is a future classic brimming with humour and heart Even though I found him living in a house made of cardboard, Bruce is a massive legend. FACT. So this mine and Bruce's story. You don't have to believe it happened, but it did. All of it. Nobody at school can see past Lenny's size to the person within. So when lessons get too tough, Lenny always goes to his bench to think. At least there no one can see him. Then one day, midway through lobbing his empty can of Irn-Bru into the canal he's stopped by Bruce. Bruce lives in a cardboard home hidden away by the banks, and he doesn't approve of kids messing up his front lawn ... But a bumpy start soon gives way to an unexpected friendship - and an epic road trip - that will change both of them for life ...
Costa Award winning author Brian Conaghan's first book for younger readers is a funny, life-affirming, unforgettable comic drama. Perfect for fans of Frank Cottrell Boyce and Lisa Thompson
About the Author
Brian Conaghan was born and raised in the Scottish town of Coatbridge but now lives in Dublin. He has a Master of Letters in Creative Writing from the University of Glasgow. For many years Brian worked as a teacher and taught in Scotland, Italy and Ireland. His first YA novel for Bloomsbury, When Mr Dog Bites, was shortlisted for the 2015 Carnegie Medal, and his second, The Bombs That Brought Us Together, won the 2016 Costa Children's Book Award. We Come Apart, a verse novel co-authored with Carnegie Medal winner Sarah Crossan, won the 2018 UKLA Book Award, and his fourth novel, The Weight of a Thousand Feathers, won the 2018 Irish Book Award for Teen & Young Adult Book of the Year. @BrianConaghan
Reviews
With the feel of a modern-day classic, this book will make readers cry but is also hysterically funny and life-affirming * BookTrust Great Books Guide 2021 *
Conaghan, a beautiful writer who loves to surprise, takes this unlikely pair of cowboys on a road trip to the north of the country. And so Bruce becomes the father figure Lenny needs, Lenny the responsibility Bruce craves as their back stories get a slow reveal. * * Alex O'Connell, The Times Children's Book of the Week *
This is an energetic charmer of a book * Irish Times *
Conaghan, a beautiful writer who loves to surprise, takes this unlikely pair of cowboys on a road trip to the north of the country. And so Bruce becomes the father figure Lenny needs, Lenny the responsibility Bruce craves as their back stories get a slow reveal * The Times Children's Book of the Week *
Multi-award-winning Brian Conaghan specialises in misfits, characters on the edge looking in, and he has a wonderful ear for authentic dialogue and for giving us male protagonists with emotional depth. He creates characters that rapidly find a place in your heart and who will make you laugh out loud and shed a few tears. This is the first time that he has written for a younger audience and does so without losing any of his trademark authenticity or sharp, wisecracking dialogue ... Warm hearted and memorable, this should go to the top of your wishlist for school libraries and every child's bookshelf * Joy Court, LoveReading4Kids Book of the Month *
A warm and funny story of the unlikely friendship that helps one lonely, bullied boy see himself differently * LoveReading, April 2021 Book of the Month *
Conaghan is a sublime storyteller who can make the reader hang on his every last word (and all of the others) * The Times on THE WEIGHT OF A THOUSAND FEATHERS *
An emotional rollercoaster of a book, written with so much heart it bounces off of the page ... A bold, life-affirming read * Irish Independent on THE WEIGHT OF A THOUSAND FEATHERS *
This is a portrayal of young male bonding, complete with all the lively banter of true camaraderies, at its most tender and affectionate * Irish Times on WHEN MR DOG BITES *
Beautifully observed and hilariously uncomfortable * Guardian on WHEN MR DOG BITES *
Believable, funny, brave and vulnerable young male characters ... thought-provoking ... drama and tension in plenty ... irrepressible humour * The School Librarian on THE BOMBS THAT BROUGHT US TOGETHER *
Book Information
ISBN 9781526628602
Author Brian Conaghan
Format Paperback
Page Count 352
Imprint Bloomsbury Childrens Books
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Weight(grams) 252g
Costa Award winning author Brian Conaghan's first book for younger readers is a funny, life-affirming, unforgettable comic drama. Perfect for fans of Frank Cottrell Boyce and Lisa Thompson
About the Author
Brian Conaghan was born and raised in the Scottish town of Coatbridge but now lives in Dublin. He has a Master of Letters in Creative Writing from the University of Glasgow. For many years Brian worked as a teacher and taught in Scotland, Italy and Ireland. His first YA novel for Bloomsbury, When Mr Dog Bites, was shortlisted for the 2015 Carnegie Medal, and his second, The Bombs That Brought Us Together, won the 2016 Costa Children's Book Award. We Come Apart, a verse novel co-authored with Carnegie Medal winner Sarah Crossan, won the 2018 UKLA Book Award, and his fourth novel, The Weight of a Thousand Feathers, won the 2018 Irish Book Award for Teen & Young Adult Book of the Year. @BrianConaghan
Reviews
With the feel of a modern-day classic, this book will make readers cry but is also hysterically funny and life-affirming * BookTrust Great Books Guide 2021 *
Conaghan, a beautiful writer who loves to surprise, takes this unlikely pair of cowboys on a road trip to the north of the country. And so Bruce becomes the father figure Lenny needs, Lenny the responsibility Bruce craves as their back stories get a slow reveal. * * Alex O'Connell, The Times Children's Book of the Week *
This is an energetic charmer of a book * Irish Times *
Conaghan, a beautiful writer who loves to surprise, takes this unlikely pair of cowboys on a road trip to the north of the country. And so Bruce becomes the father figure Lenny needs, Lenny the responsibility Bruce craves as their back stories get a slow reveal * The Times Children's Book of the Week *
Multi-award-winning Brian Conaghan specialises in misfits, characters on the edge looking in, and he has a wonderful ear for authentic dialogue and for giving us male protagonists with emotional depth. He creates characters that rapidly find a place in your heart and who will make you laugh out loud and shed a few tears. This is the first time that he has written for a younger audience and does so without losing any of his trademark authenticity or sharp, wisecracking dialogue ... Warm hearted and memorable, this should go to the top of your wishlist for school libraries and every child's bookshelf * Joy Court, LoveReading4Kids Book of the Month *
A warm and funny story of the unlikely friendship that helps one lonely, bullied boy see himself differently * LoveReading, April 2021 Book of the Month *
Conaghan is a sublime storyteller who can make the reader hang on his every last word (and all of the others) * The Times on THE WEIGHT OF A THOUSAND FEATHERS *
An emotional rollercoaster of a book, written with so much heart it bounces off of the page ... A bold, life-affirming read * Irish Independent on THE WEIGHT OF A THOUSAND FEATHERS *
This is a portrayal of young male bonding, complete with all the lively banter of true camaraderies, at its most tender and affectionate * Irish Times on WHEN MR DOG BITES *
Beautifully observed and hilariously uncomfortable * Guardian on WHEN MR DOG BITES *
Believable, funny, brave and vulnerable young male characters ... thought-provoking ... drama and tension in plenty ... irrepressible humour * The School Librarian on THE BOMBS THAT BROUGHT US TOGETHER *
Book Information
ISBN 9781526628602
Author Brian Conaghan
Format Paperback
Page Count 352
Imprint Bloomsbury Childrens Books
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Weight(grams) 252g
