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Guy Bass grew up dreaming of being a superhero – he even had a Spider-Man costume. The costume doesn't fit anymore, so Guy now contents himself with writing and drawing the occasional picture. He writes the Gormy Ruckles series for Scholastic UK, as well as the popular Dinkin Dings series for Stripes. In 2010, Dinkin Dings and the Frightening Things won a CBBC Blue Peter Book Award in the "Most Fun Story with Pictures" category. Guy lives in London with his wife.
A Q&A with the Author
Where did the idea for the Stitch Head series come from? I wanted to write a gothic monster / mad professor story. The initial idea was about two leftover body parts from the professor’s experiments - an arm and leg - which were alive, and understandably resented their lot! As it turns out, living limbs are considered a bit much for children’s fiction, and I was rightly asked to think again. Then I started to wonder how this mad professor got started. Maybe his first creation wasn’t all that monstrous or scary or impressive; maybe it had been forgotten, like an old toy, and longed to be remembered. I did a sketch of a little creature with stitches all over his face and things started to fall into place.
Apart from Stitch Head, who have been your favourite characters in the series? Arabella is fun to write. She became a major character almost by accident. She’s everything Stitch Head isn’t – rash, brash, and recklessly bold – and she approaches every problem by kicking it in the nose. The Creature is great when I want to give Stitch Head something to worry about. It always turns up at the right moment and does the wrong thing – the perfect storm of good intentions and terrible execution.
When you started the series did you know how many you would be writing? It was initially a one-book contract so I did sort of think that was that. I crammed so much into that first story, but ended up having to trim a lot. What I took out became the basis of the second book, and by the time I’d written that I had book three plotted, and so on.
Stitch Head has recently been voted by kids as one of the best Children’s books, how did this make you feel? Gobsmacked, incredulous and humbled, in that order. Everybody involved in Stitch Head put in heaps of work into it, so I’m so chuffed people like it. That vote meant a lot, especially as there was no shortlist. Bonkers. Plus, it was good to know all those bribes paid off.
Sadly this is the last book in the Stitch Head series, but do you have any other books coming? I don’t know how to spell a drum-roll, but I’m making the sound... my new series is called SPYnosaur. I’m really excited about it. It’s your classic secret-agent-gets-his-brainwaves-put-into-the-body-of-a-dinosaur-and-teams-up-with-his-daughter-to-battle-international-criminal-masterminds. With added monkeys.
1. Can you describe Noah Scape Can't Stop Repeating Himself in 5 words?
When Noah doubles there's trouble.
When Noah doubles there's trouble.
When Noah doubles there's trouble.
When Noah doubles there's trouble.
When Noah doubles there's trouble.
2. What was the inspiration for writing the book?
The name was the starting point. I wanted to write a "be careful what you wish for" story, with Noah deliberately deciding to start doubling but it soon spirals out of control to become a situation he can't escape. There is something appealing about the idea of there being one more of you, or four of you, or eight, or a hundred ... but when everyone's the same, it's a sadder world. At the beginning of the story, Noah's so set in his ways that he rejects other people's ideas and opinions but the more he duplicates, the more he realises that difference makes life interesting. Difference and dinosaurs.
3. You could say that Noah is a bit of a difficult student... What were you like at school? Were you as demanding as Noah?
I wish I had been - demanding, not difficult. I was really quiet at school. So quiet that I'm pretty sure I could have turned invisible and I pretty sure no one would have noticed. Which is just one of the two hundred super powers I wished I'd had as a child. I spent every school assembly daydreaming about floating into the air and out of the window. My memory's hazy but i'm almost convinced it never actually happened.
4. We love Steve's artwork and he's said he just might have broken the record for drawing the same character again and again and again! What version of Noah is your favourite?
It's an impressive record! My favourite's one of the (many) Noahs on page 51. He's far off in the background, holding a balloon and looking strangely sinister. Thanks to horror films it's now impossible to hold a balloon and not look evil.
5. Noah loves nothing more than talking about dinosaurs and eating spaghetti with tomato sauce. What two things do you wish everyone loved as much as you do?
Comic books and cheese fondue.
6. Finally, we'd love to see the spot where all your characters come to life. Can you show us a picture of where you write?
I should point out that my main problem with writing books is the isolation. As you can see, I found a solution - you're never alone with a thousand lifeless painted eyes staring down at you. Oddly, the toys on my shelves seem to have doubled recently. Maybe that's where the real inspiration for Noah Scape came from.
Photo credit Elizabeth Gibson
March 2019 Book of the Month | Interest Age 8+ Reading Age 8 | Guy Bass comes out all guns blazing in his latest comic adventure which features some typically wonderful characters – I particularly like Tad Tipsy the bartender and Precious Little the gold prospector. Centre stage is sheriff’s daughter Laura Norder and her arch enemy Duncan Disorderly, motto ‘No rules!’. In a spontaneous gesture he comes to regret, Laura’s dad makes her sheriff, but absolute power is no good for anyone and Laura’s obsession with imposing strict rules quickly makes her very unpopular with the townspeople of Butts Canyon. It’s very funny indeed, but there are lessons for us all and a sly bit of political satire too. Yee haw!
Interest Age 8-11 Reading Age 8 | Guy Bass’s hilarious story is a lesson to be careful what you wish for and why making everything all about you is not the best way to live. Noah Scape (geddit?) knows exactly what he likes – dinosaurs, cold milk, spaghetti and tomato sauce – and is irritated when different things are offered. He decides there should be more people like him, and suddenly, bizarrely, each day the number of Noahs doubles, from one to two, to four, to eight and so on. What seems really good soon loses its appeal as Noah is pushed to the back of his own queue, and when he’s told that by day 30 there’ll be 1,073,741,824 Noahs he realises it has to stop. Like everything Bass writes it’s super readable, firmly based in children’s own experiences and very, very funny. Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant or dyslexic readers aged 8+
In this new adventure for dinosaur spy Spynosaur, he and his daughter Amber Gamber save the world again, this time by travelling to the Arctic Circle to take on diabolical villain the Purple Spyder. In fact, three generations of Gambits are involved because on their journey they discover Spynosaur’s long-lost dad; the original spy who came in from the cold, he’s been frozen in the ice cap for thirty years. As ever, it’s great fun and packed with adventure. Plus, you can tell how good a book is from its chapter headings, and chapter seven of this is called The P.L.O.T. Device - genius! Readers who enjoy Spynosaur’s adventures will also appreciate Frank Cottrell Boyce’s The Astounding Broccoli Boy and Hamish and the World Stoppers by Danny Wallace.
Interest Age 8-12 Reading Age 8 | Aidan Abet works hard at school making sure he stays teacher’s pet – it’s the best way of ensuring protection from horrible bullies the (unrelated) Robert and Robin Robinson. But can he win over Miss Vowel, who seems to care more for her growing collection of school pets than any of her pupils? Fortunately for Aidan, he discovers just what makes Miss Vowel’s pets so special and his problems disappear in two shakes of a rat’s tail! Roald Dahl would have appreciated Miss Vowel’s approach to maintaining discipline in the classroom, and there’s a deliciously dark ending to this lively, funny adventure.
From a land before time comes a hero for today: meet Spynosaur, he’s got the mind of a super-spy, but in the body of a dinosaur (a Deinonychus to be precise)! Ably assisted by his daughter Amber, Spynosaur is always on hand to save the world and, under the instruction of his boss M11, to do battle with his nemesis Ego, head of P.O.I.S.O.N. (that’s Persons of Infamy, Spite and Occasional Nefariousness). The set up couldn’t be dafter, but the stories are still gripping and laughs of all kinds come thick and fast too. Part story book, part comic book, with illustrations on nearly every page including some cartoon strips, and totally entertaining! For more mad-cap, thoroughly inventive and child-friendly adventures see Steve Cole’s Magic Ink series.
Highly visual, filled with slapstick humour and with a cast of monstrous but endearing characters, the Stitch Head stories are always great fun. Stitch Head works hard to keep Professor Erasmus and Castle Grotteskew safe – even though his master has practically forgotten he exists – but he’s no match for adventurer Dotty Dauntless who barrels in determined to leave with a monster (to win a bet with the boys at the Venture Club …). Life at the castle is about to change for ever, but in a way that brings surprising good news for little Stitch Head. Stitch Head is quiet, well-meaning, long-suffering and generally put upon in fact. You can’t help but love him and readers will be cheering for him at the end! ~ Andrea Reece
Stitch Head and the residents of Castle Grotteskew are back for another adventure – hoorah! They’re struggling to keep order in the castle which has become home to 100 ravenous human orphans - not even the Creature’s ‘entertrainment’ show can keep them happy, despite his costume’s toggle of hilarity… Add to that a rampaging beast that might just be Arabella and the stage is set for an enormous helping of fun. Gruesome, inventive, and full of slapstick humour the Stitch Head books are highly entertaining, while their cast of strange characters are genuinely endearing. The design and Pete Williamson’s illustrations make them even more appealing. ~ Andrea Reece
Frog is back for a second hilarious and outrageous adventure following his triumphs in The Legend of Frog. Frog has already saved a princess. What on earth can he do next? This time, the King and Queen of Everything want Frog to act as their Royal champion! But can frog defeat a boastful dragon and see off the invading enemy aliens? There’s lots to laugh at in this romp of a royal story. We asked some of our readers to review the first in this madcap series - The Legend of Frog....here's what they thought - 'I found this book very funny and exciting. I didn't want to put it down! The characters were funny and the storyline was gripping.' Read more reviews here!
The Legend of Frog is the first book in a brand new three-part series by award-winning and best-selling author, Guy Bass. A mash-up of fairy tale, fantasy and science fiction with a hearty helping of humour, The Legend of Frog is sure to introduce Guy to a whole new raft of readers as well as delighting his legions of fans. Once Upon the End of the World, a frog-like prince sets out to claim his throne, armed with nothing more than a pair of Catastrophe Pants and his trusty stick, Basil Rathbone. The hilarious tale of a frog, a princess and an all-out alien invasion… In addition to our Lovereading expert opinion for The Legend of Frog a small number of children were lucky enough to be invited to review this title. Here's a taster....'Exciting, strange and very funny, I could not put this book down and I can't wait to find out what happens next. A brilliant read!' - Sam Harper. Scroll down to read more reviews...
Created by a mad professor Stitch Head is no ordinary boy and his life is very far from ordinary! In this new madcap adventure, Stitch Head finds himself in a tricky spot as he tries to rescue Arabella from Otherways, a home for unwanted orphans. An hilarious gothic fantasy in which the most unlikely things can – and do - happen. ................................. This is the fourth in a widely successful, funny series, accessible, fast paced and illustrated throughout, this is a great choice for reluctant readers. The first Stitch Head title was part of the Richard & Judy Children's Book Club selection in Spring 2012. Click here to download an extract.
Fans of Marcus Sedgwick's Raven Mysteries and Lemony Snicket will love the Stitch Head titles. Join Stitch Head, a mad professor’s forgotten creation, on another freakishly funny adventure! Having already escaped the clutches of a creepy circus master and a legendary pirate, Stitch Head – the almost-human result of the frightfully insane Professor Erasmus’ experiments – has his third outing in The Ghost of Grotteskew. A villainous spirit is haunting the corridors of Castle Grotteskew, and he’s after two things: Stitch Head’s heart… and soul.
If you love adventure, mystery and gothic stories complete with plenty of humour and wacky, sometimes frightening characters including monsters and a mad professor, then this is the book for you. Add in Stitch Head, a little boy - in fact a tiny little boy - who is so incredibly brave. In this the second in the Stitch Head series, Stitch Head takes to the high seas with his great friends, Creature and Arabella but soon they find themselves knee deep in trouble. Fans of The Raven Mysteries will love this story. Author Guy Bass is the winner of the Blue Peter Book Award 2010 in the Most Fun Story with Pictures category for Dinkin Dings and the Frightening Things. Click here for his website.
If you liked Marcus Sedgwick's The Raven Mysteries, you'll love this ! Gruesome and scarily witty, this is the spooky story of Stitch Head, a lonely almost-human creature made by a mad professor in the sinister Castle Grotesque. Almost lost and forgotten, Stitch Head’s life is turned upside down when Fulbert Freakfinder’s Travelling Circus rolls into his home town of Grubbers Nubbin. After that, nothing is ever quite the same again... Click here to visit the Stitch Head website.
One night a year, Santa J. Claus delivers presents to the children of the world...but for the rest of the time, he's protecting the world as the top secret agent of the Xtremely Mysterious Agency of Secrets (X.M.A.S.), dishing out his own brand of justice to the world's most dastardly criminals. Santa and his Little Helper, newly qualified X.M.A.S. agent Jingle Bells, are on the trail of Dr Cumulus Nimbus, who's hell-bent on creating a new ice age...and Santa hates snow! Can they stop the evil plot before the world is snowed under?
A World Book Day 'Recommended Read' for 2011 When Dinkin is told he needs to wear glasses, he can barely contain his terror, for he knows that there’s more to a pair of glasses than meets the eye... In his haste to get rid of them, Dinkin unwittingly brings his bespectacled double from Dimension 9 to life... and unlike Dinkin, ‘Danger Dings’ is afraid of nothing! It’s time for Dinkin and the Frightening Things to be very afraid!
Winner of the 2010 Blue Peter 'Most Fun with Pictures' Award. Dinkin Dings is afraid of everything - not just scary things, like being stuck in a lift with a hungry jaguar, but pretty much totally everything (apart from the monsters under his bed)! When Dinkin sees his new neighbours, he's certain that the girl next door is in fact a flesh-eating alien space zombie! But no one believes him. Can Dinkin, and his friends, The Frightening Things, rid the world of the evil zombies before the whole planet is turned into mindless flesh-eating slaves...?
This roaringly funny new series for 5+ year olds is from a fresh new talent. Girls and boys alike will love Gormy, the endearing central character who learns the importance of being earnest. Short, easy to read chapters, these fun titles, of which this is the first, alongside Gormy Ruckles: Monster Mischief are perfect both for emergent readers who want more than picture books. This book is also good but for reluctant readers.
Meet Gormy, the small, blue and very hairy monster whose vivid, original and hilarious world comes brilliantly to life and will have children of 5+ returning to time and time again. Gormy Ruckles: Monster Boy is also published to coincide with this title.
From a land before time comes a hero for today ... Spynosaur - he's going to make crime extinct! A hilarious new series from award-winning author Guy Bass, perfect for fans of MY BROTHER IS A SUPERHERO, THE ASTOUNDING BROCCOLI BOY, DARKMOUTH and HAMISH AND THE WORLDSTOPPERS. When Spynosaur is accused of eating the princess of Canada's prized pet, Pugsy Malone, he has his Right to Spy revoked! Facing imprisonment in Department 6's inescapable prison, The Bin, Spynosaur goes rogue. Together with his sidekick, Amber, Spynosaur is pursued across the globe by his former fellow agents, including Danger Monkey, Dr Newfangle, and expert tracker Jet Setter. Convinced he's been framed, Spynosaur goes looking for the one villain capable such a diabolical deed, his arch enemy, Ergo Ego. But without his gadgets and equipment, and with the full force of Department 6 bearing down on him, can our hero evade capture long enough to clear his name? There's only one villain who could have pulled off such a diabolical deception and there's only one way to discover the truth... It's time to get himself captured. Lurking within the Bin, Department 6's inescapable prison, is Spynosaur's arch-enemy, Ergo Ego ... but does he have the answers Spynosaur's looking for ... and is he willing to spill the beans?
Interest Age 8-11 Reading Age 8 | Guy Bass’s hilarious story is a lesson to be careful what you wish for and why making everything all about you is not the best way to live. Noah Scape (geddit?) knows exactly what he likes – dinosaurs, cold milk, spaghetti and tomato sauce – and is irritated when different things are offered. He decides there should be more people like him, and suddenly, bizarrely, each day the number of Noahs doubles, from one to two, to four, to eight and so on. What seems really good soon loses its appeal as Noah is pushed to the back of his own queue, and when he’s told that by day 30 there’ll be 1,073,741,824 Noahs he realises it has to stop. Like everything Bass writes it’s super readable, firmly based in children’s own experiences and very, very funny. Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant or dyslexic readers aged 8+
In this new adventure for dinosaur spy Spynosaur, he and his daughter Amber Gamber save the world again, this time by travelling to the Arctic Circle to take on diabolical villain the Purple Spyder. In fact, three generations of Gambits are involved because on their journey they discover Spynosaur’s long-lost dad; the original spy who came in from the cold, he’s been frozen in the ice cap for thirty years. As ever, it’s great fun and packed with adventure. Plus, you can tell how good a book is from its chapter headings, and chapter seven of this is called The P.L.O.T. Device - genius! Readers who enjoy Spynosaur’s adventures will also appreciate Frank Cottrell Boyce’s The Astounding Broccoli Boy and Hamish and the World Stoppers by Danny Wallace.
From a land before time comes a hero for today ... Spynosaur - he's going to make crime extinct! A hilarious new series from award-winning author Guy Bass, perfect for fans of My Brother is a Superhero, The Astounding Broccoli Boy, Darkmouth and Hamish and the Worldstoppers. When Spynosaur locks up the last of the world's worst criminal masterminds, all that's left are a string of disappointingly undemanding novelty villains. With no one worthy of his super-spy skills, Amber's worried that Spynosaur might give up spying altogether. Even Goldentoe, their last hope of a dastardly villain, admits to only pretending to be evil to win the heart of Shady Lady. Frantic that her dad has lost the will to spy, Amber convinces Goldentoe to make himself a more desirably dangerous suitor. With the help of the Science Ray and a sample of Spynosaur's DNA, Goldentoe transforms himself into Goldenclaw, a formidable half-man, half dinosaur far more powerful than Spynosaur, and intent on a spot of world-ending asteroid flinging...
Interest Age 8-12 Reading Age 8 | Aidan Abet works hard at school making sure he stays teacher’s pet – it’s the best way of ensuring protection from horrible bullies the (unrelated) Robert and Robin Robinson. But can he win over Miss Vowel, who seems to care more for her growing collection of school pets than any of her pupils? Fortunately for Aidan, he discovers just what makes Miss Vowel’s pets so special and his problems disappear in two shakes of a rat’s tail! Roald Dahl would have appreciated Miss Vowel’s approach to maintaining discipline in the classroom, and there’s a deliciously dark ending to this lively, funny adventure.
From a land before time comes a hero for today: meet Spynosaur, he’s got the mind of a super-spy, but in the body of a dinosaur (a Deinonychus to be precise)! Ably assisted by his daughter Amber, Spynosaur is always on hand to save the world and, under the instruction of his boss M11, to do battle with his nemesis Ego, head of P.O.I.S.O.N. (that’s Persons of Infamy, Spite and Occasional Nefariousness). The set up couldn’t be dafter, but the stories are still gripping and laughs of all kinds come thick and fast too. Part story book, part comic book, with illustrations on nearly every page including some cartoon strips, and totally entertaining! For more mad-cap, thoroughly inventive and child-friendly adventures see Steve Cole’s Magic Ink series.
Highly visual, filled with slapstick humour and with a cast of monstrous but endearing characters, the Stitch Head stories are always great fun. Stitch Head works hard to keep Professor Erasmus and Castle Grotteskew safe – even though his master has practically forgotten he exists – but he’s no match for adventurer Dotty Dauntless who barrels in determined to leave with a monster (to win a bet with the boys at the Venture Club …). Life at the castle is about to change for ever, but in a way that brings surprising good news for little Stitch Head. Stitch Head is quiet, well-meaning, long-suffering and generally put upon in fact. You can’t help but love him and readers will be cheering for him at the end! ~ Andrea Reece
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