Book Info
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Paperback272 pages
Publisher
ScholasticSuitable for Ages
Featured Books for 11+ readersChildren's Book Awards - Shortlists and Winners
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Publication date
2nd February 2012ISBN
9781407130026Children's Author 'Like-for-Like' recommendations

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Socks Are Not Enough
Mark Lowery
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The Lovereading comment:
Shortlisted for the 2013 Leeds Book Award - Shortlisted for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize 2012.
A piece of Passion from the Publisher: We at Scholastic Children’s Books are very proud to be publishing Socks Are Not Enough by Mark Lowery. It genuinely takes a lot to make me laugh – especially out loud. So it may have surprised my colleagues when I spent an entire afternoon at my desk snorting with amusement. “What is SO funny?” they enquired. I proceeded to read them extract after extract of the “really hilarious submission” I was reading. Yes – that submission was the wonderful SOCKS ARE NOT ENOUGH, Mark Lowery’s debut novel.
The protagonist, Michael Swarbrick, is the ultimate geek. But every reader of Socks Are Not Enough will very much identify with him. I know I certainly did. Anyone who remembers being 14 will recall the same cringe-worthy embarrassment at their parents’ or best friend’s behaviour as Michael does on coming home to discovering his parents are secret nudists – and ready to go public! Sure, my parents weren’t nudists like Michael’s. But my dad did drop me at school on the back of his vintage motorbike which constantly backfired! Any book that makes the reader recall their formative teenage years with so much laughter is one that mustn’t be missed – you’ll even enjoy it if those years are still to come.
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A Review by Katy Poulter, aged 12
Socks are not enough is a fun, light read that made me laugh out loud. Michael is so unfortunate and everything seems to happen to him, this makes him an incredibly easy character to relate to. I really enjoyed it as it was funny and tackled some topics, which are usually avoided, in a light-hearted way but still got across the impact that they have on people’s lives. I wanted to read this book first as I was drawn to it because of the cover, which is bright and quirky, and the blurb, which is intriguing and unusual. I love funny books but you don’t usually see them in award lists so I think that it is brilliant that this list has one in.
Katy Poulter is a member of the Lovereading4kids Reader Review Panel but she has reviewed this novel in the first instance for the Leeds Book Award as it is one of the 2013 shortlisted titles. The organisers have kindly agreed to let us also make use of Katy's review.
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Shortlisted for the 2013 Leeds Book Award. For further information on the Award click here.
Shortlisted titles are:
9-11 category shortlist - Rachel Billington's Poppy's Hero - Charlotte Haptie's Granny Grabbers' Whizz Bang World - Conrad Mason's The Demon's Watch - William Osborne's Hitler's Angel - Michelle Paver's Gods and Warriors - Marcus Sedgwick's Fright Forest.
11-14 category shortlist - Kerry Drewery's A Brighter Fear - Caroline Green's Cracks - Mark Lowery's Socks are not Enough - Simon Packham's Silenced - Laura Powell's Burn Mark - Mark Walden's Earthfall.
14-16 category shortlist - Phil Earle's Saving Daisy - Sarah Hammond's The Night Sky in my Head - Sam Hawksmoor's The Repossession - Edward Hogan's Daylight Saving - David Massey's Torn - Teri Terry's Slated.
The winners will be announced on 21st May 2013 for the 9-11 category and on 23rd May 2013 for the 11-14 and 14-16 categories.
Synopsis
Socks Are Not Enough by Mark LoweryMichael Swarbrick's life couldn't get any worse. He's embroiled in a girls' changing room scandal; his idiot brother, a self-proclaimed love God , is snogging his dream girl and he's just come home early to discover his parents are having a cup of tea...
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Reviews
Below is a Lovereading4kids reader review.
This book follows Michael Swarbrick, a fourteen year old boy, as he recounts the hilariously cringe worthy moments in his life and tales of how the girl he "admires"’ (stalks) once smiled (laughed) at him (when he fell over) and how his brother stole her off him, and how he found out his parents are nudists and their various public displays of "freedom"’ and his fear of donkeys to his councillors Mrs O’Malley (he thinks she’s nice even if she does have massive hands) and Chas (who he hates, because he is about 50 and talks in 80’s slang and acts like a kid) through a laptop (as he is reluctant to talk). He is obsessed with order and organization and therefore uses footnotes (there are 85 of them) and lists. It’s because of this obsession that he hates Chas so much.
I found this book very entertaining and funny and couldn’t put it down for the whole two days after Christmas it took me to read it. It was the first book I’ve read in a long time that has actually made me laugh. This is now one of my new favourite books ever and I would recommend it to anyone over the age of ten because anyone younger may not get the humour. Even my mum found it side splittingly funny. This book is hilariously funny and an outstandingly good read. I give this book a ten out of ten socks!! James Webster, age 13
About The Author
Mark Lowery grew up in Preston but now he lives in Cambridge. He has a real-life human girlfriend - who definitely exists - and a baby daughter. Most of the time he is a teacher and Socks are Not Enough is his first book. He is currently working on a second story about Michael Swarbrick called 'State of Undress'.
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