Loan shark Chick Lennon is notorious around Sonny Gilmour's way, and not for anything good. So when Sonny discovers his mum has borrowed money from Chick to pay the rent, he finds himself in need of the quickest of get-rich-quick schemes. With the help of best mate Jonah and quiet genius Carolina Swift, he hatches a plot - to pay back what Mum owes using Chick's own ill-gotten gains. It's not a fool-proof plan, and it's not helped by Sonny's Tourette's making him blurt out 'ROB CHICK LENNON!' at the top of his lungs every time things get dicey. But with his dad suffering from long Covid and his mum already struggling to cope, Sonny knows it's down to him to keep his family out of Chick's clutches ...

A funny, moving and uplifting story about one teen's plan to pay back the sinister loan shark who is threatening his family ... using the loan shark's own money. Perfect for 12+ fans of Phil Earle and Keith Gray

About the Author
Brian Conaghan lives and works in the Scottish town of Coatbridge. He has an MLitt in Creative Writing from the University of Glasgow and for many years worked as a teacher in Scotland, Italy and Ireland. His novel When Mr Dog Bites was shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal, The Bombs That Brought Us Together won the Costa Children's Book Award, The Weight of a Thousand Feathers won the Irish Book Award for Teen/Young Adult Book of the Year and The M Word was shortlisted for the An Post Irish Book Awards. Cardboard Cowboys, Brian's first middle-grade novel, was published in 2021 and Swimming on the Moon followed in 2023. @ConaghanAuthor

Reviews
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 on CARDBOARD COWBOYS *
Multi-award-winning Brian Conaghan specialises in misfits, characters on the edge looking in who will make you laugh out loud and shed a few tears ... Warm-hearted and memorable, this should go to the top of your wishlist for school libraries and every child's bookshelf * LoveReading4Kids Book of the Month on CARDBOARD COWBOYS *
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 *
Beautifully observed and hilariously uncomfortable * Guardian on WHEN MR DOG BITES *
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 on CARDBOARD COWBOYS *



Book Information
ISBN 9781526653987
Author Brian Conaghan
Format Paperback
Page Count 352
Imprint Bloomsbury YA
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC