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Paperback256 pages
Publisher
Chicken House LtdSuitable for Ages
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Publication date
6th March 2006ISBN
9781905294169Children's Author 'Like-for-Like' recommendations
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Martyn Pig
Kevin Brooks
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Julia Eccleshare's comment:
Award-winning novelist Kevin Brooks made his mark with this, his debut novel. A black comedy is something of a rarity in children’s books but here Kevin Brooks shows how it can be done. Martyn hates his father – and he has good reasons to do so – but he never meant to kill him. And maybe he didn’t anyway. But there’s a body to be got rid off and a story to tell. Martyn finds keeping up the stories gets more and more difficult as the lies get crazier. Martyn’s pessimistic view of the world takes a darker turn but there’s a kind of mad humour to it, too.
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Synopsis
Martyn Pig by Kevin BrooksDid I hate him? Of course I hated him. But I never meant to kill him. With his father dead, Martyn has a choice. Tell the police what happened - and be suspected of murder. Or get rid of the body and get on with the rest of his life. Simple, right? Not quite. One story leads to another. Secrets and lies become darker and crazier. And Martyn is faced with twists and turns that leave him reeling. Life is never easy. But death is even harder.
Reviews
* This could become a cult novel.INDEPENDENT
*... will keep you gripped. OBSERVER *... dark, funny and with a neat twist in the tale. This is very good stuff indeed. Watch this guy, he's good. MELVIN BURGESS * An immensely clever murder mystery. LITERARY REVIEW
About The Author
It was the publication of Martyn Pig that changed everything. After being turned down by a number of publishers, Kevin Brooks sent his manuscript to The Chicken House, who jumped on the chance to publish it. They released Martyn Pig in the spring of 2002. In the U.K, the book went on to be short-listed for the Carnegie Medal and win a Branford Boase Award for a first best novel. And in the United States, it was named a Publishers Weekly Flying Start and an ALA Book of the Year, among its many accolades.
One of Brooks' favorite genres is the detective novel, and this shows in his writing, "I think my awareness of plot comes from having read a lot of crime fiction. When Martyn Pig came out, the reviewers were saying things such as 'well plotted' novel. I found that surprising because I didn't have any idea that I could plot or structure a story. I do plan, but I'm not consciously aware that I'm building a plot that creates good suspense; it comes naturally because I've soaked myself in those sorts of plots."
Why did he decide to write for children? "There are not many differences, I don't think, between writing for children and writing for adults," Brooks says, "because children aren't that different from adults. But I would say the story is the main thing, with children. With adults you might use different styles and structures, perhaps indulge in fiddly niceties. Writing for children brings you down to basics."
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