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Phil Earle was born and raised in Hull. His first job was as a care worker in a children’s home. Phil then chose the more sedate life of a bookseller, and now works in children’s publishing. He is the author of several award-winning novels including Being Billy which won the 2012 weRead Award and was shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award. He lives in Yorkshire
Interest Age 5-8 | Everyone knows that footballers are super-superstitious and when things suddenly start going wrong for the Saints, they decide their team is under a curse. The question is, what can they do to lift it? Stanley is the only one of them who really understands that lucky strips and garlic down their socks won’t get them winning again – only confidence and determination will do that. It’s up to him to change the team’s outlook. The action flows, both on the pitch and in the dressing room, and the story feels as real and authentic as a pair of muddy football boots. Steve May’s illustrations are bang on and in Barrington Stoke style, this is accessible even to reluctant or dyslexic readers. A winner!
May 2017 Book of the Month | Interest Age 5-8 | In a nutshell: the best laid plans of mice and supermen …| Stanley is as normal a kid as you can meet, but his dad, well, he’s a superhero, Dynamo Dan to his friends. Life as a superhero is pretty full-on so Stanley’s mum insists dad take a day off to spend with his son. Stanley has been looking forward to it for ages, but it seems superheroes can’t ever relax – the emergencies keep coming. Stanley knows his dad needs a break so decides to help out himself. A celebration both of superhero stories and the special relationship between fathers and sons this is great fun from beginning to end. ~ Andrea Reece High quality cream paper and a special easy to read font ensure a smooth read for all. About the Little Gems series: Little Gems are in a gorgeous new chunky format, with high-spec production including coloured endpapers and jacketed flaps with activities. Additional features include high quality cream paper, Barrington Stoke font and illustrations on every page. They are perfect for 5-8's. These quality stories promote good reading practice for all newly independent readers.
One of Our Books of the Year 2017 | Longlisted for the UKLA 2018 Book Award A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month | February 2017 Book of the Month | Interest Age Teen Reading Age 8 Mikey thinks the world of his Dad even though he doesn’t see him that often. And when he dies suddenly, Mikey is left with nothing to remember him by except a few fleeting memories of his amazing ability to imitate any voice. With nothing to hang on to, Mikey starts to fall apart. His best mate knows that he must do something to save him and that means finding someone or something that can bring the two together. The search is bleak and dangerous – Mikey’s dad had few friends and many enemies - but the end is triumphant! Phil Earle has created a moving and meaningful story which captures the irreplaceable importance of friendship. ~ Julia Eccleshare A Piece of Passion from Barrington Stoke MD Mairi Kidd: “When Phil first told me the plot of Mind The Gap I had goosebumps. There’s a real power and urgency to Phil’s writing for young adults, and I love that he has taken a touching true story of love and remembrance and fused it with something very raw – an account of terrible grief experienced by a young man who doesn’t really know how to express or process it, and a friend who desperately wants to help. It’s a hugely emotional story, told sparsely and brilliantly.” Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant and dyslexic teen readers. Barrington Stoke is the foremost publisher of dyslexia friendly books and those for reluctant readers. Here on Lovereading4kids we are constantly selecting new titles and refreshing our special dyslexia friendly category. Click here to view our current selection which is broken down by age range. Julia Eccleshare's Picks of the Month for February 2017 Young Magicians and the Thieves' Almanac by Nick Mohammed A Busy Day for Birds by Lucy Cousins Mind the Gap by Phil Earle The Bolds on Holiday by Julian Clary The Unexpected Love Story of Alfred Fiddleduckling by Timothy Basil Ering The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart by Stephanie Burgis
A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month October 2016 A pacey new story set in Storey Street featuring a cast of outrageous characters doing a host of amazing and extraordinary things. Masher’s dad is determined to get his greedy hands on the space in the street where a house was stolen from so that he can sell it for loads of money. But the kids in the street have a different idea. Can they and the performing Jessops, who turn up in the nick of time, defend the special place? Mayhem, magic and a certain amount of trickery follow is this bubbly adventure which adds a great new chapter to the Storey Street series. ~ Julia Eccleshare Julia Eccleshare's Picks of the Month for October 2016 Kim by Rudyard Kipling The Fox and the Ghost King by Michael Morpurgo Coming to England by Floella Benjamin Owl Bat Bat Owl by Marie Louise Fitzpatrick We Found a Hat by Jon Klassen The Christmasaurus by Tom Fletcher The War Next Door by Phil Earle
Mouse is desperate to be a superhero. To find that power that will make him stand out in the crowd. But his every attempt ends in failure. He can't even get any attention at home as his five brothers (triplets AND twins) take every second of mum and dad's attention. When mum foils a bank robbery while on duty as a lollipop lady, she and Mouse are lauded as superheroes. Joining forces with Mouse are The Z List - a group of unlikely crime-fighters. But in their midst is a traitor hell-bent on revenge. Will Mouse be super enough to spot this danger, and is he brave enough to do anything about it?
May 2015 MEGA Book of the Month Jake Biggs’s dad works in demolition. All week long he knocks down buildings from the cockpit of his crane, but at weekends he becomes Demolition Man, twenty stone of Man Mountain in a leotard, the best wrestler in town – and Jake couldn’t be prouder! There’s just one thing that upsets him – his dad wants it kept a secret. But when the opportunity arises to enter his dad into an international wrestling competition, Jake can’t resist. While Demolition Dad unashamedly plugs the many delights of wrestling - and could well inspire a whole new army of fans - it is really a book about love, in particular the love between a boy and his dad. A warm, funny and genuinely touching story of family relationships, in a lycra wrapping. ~ Andrea Reece
All my life I've been tiny Charlie from the Chinese Chippie, whose only friend is Sinus, the kid who stares at walls. But I believe that everyone's good at something. I've just got to work out what my something is... How do you stay on the board when your world is turned upside down?
Longlisted for the Carnegie Medal 2014 Inspired by S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders and by the battles facing young soldiers all over the world, this is a devastating novel about brotherhood and sacrifice, from the award-winning author of Being Billy and Saving Daisy.
Shortlisted for the 2013 Leeds Book Award. This is a powerful and moving story linked to Phil Earle's critically acclaimed debut book, Being Billy. A Review by Katy Poulter, age 12 Saving Daisy was better than I thought it would be as the cover isn’t great but once I got into the book, I quite enjoyed it. Daisy was very unfortunate with everything that had happened to her and what was even more unfortunate was that she blamed herself for it. She was a very easy character to relate to because everyone has had a time in their life when they have felt a little like Daisy did and if you haven’t, you are very lucky. I was almost shouting at the book when Daisy started smoking and drinking because I knew she was better and more intelligent than that which I think shows that it was written in a believable way so the characters become real. I liked how it was so well thought out with how realistic it all was and how the writer used his strengths when writing. I felt that there was something missing for it to really engage me and for it to stick in my mind as an amazing book. 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.
Shortlisted for the 2012 Branford Boase Award for outstanding Debut novel. A Lovereading4kids 'Great Read' you may have missed 2011 selection. Billy's been in a care home almost all his life and as far as he's concerned, he's on his own. He's angry with the system, the social workers and the mother who gave him away. His little brother and sister keep him going, though they can't keep him out of trouble. But he isn't being difficult on purpose. Billy's just being Billy. He can't be anything else. Can he? The Branford Boase judges said: “Extremely emotionally intelligent; the voice never falters. Excellent descriptions of how the character feels. It made me cry!” The Branford Boase Award shortlist 2012: Long Lankin - Lindsey Barraclough Being Billy - Phil Earle Small Change for Stuart - Lissa Evans Everybody Jam - Ali Lewis Sky Hawk - Gill Lewis A Beautiful Lie - Irfan Master My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece - Annabel Pitcher
Ridiculous injuries ... strange illnesses ... cancelled games ... Everything's going wrong for the Saints this season, and Stanley's team-mates believe they finally know why. Their football kit is cursed! But the team's attempts to break the curse take things from bad to worse. Soon, they're ready to call it quits. Stanley's still got some tricks up his sleeve ... but will his curse-cracking ideas save the team in time for the last game of the season?
From the author of DEMOLITION DAD, the CBBC Book of the Month June 2017, comes the fourth and final hilarious Storey Street by Phil Earle, illustrated by Waterstones Children's Book Prize-shortlisted artist, Sara Ogilvie. Perfect for fans of Roald Dahl, Liz Pichon and David Walliams. Kay Catt has a nickname - Scaredy Catt. And with good reason. You've never met a more timid, anxious girl in your life. And when you meet her dad, you'll start to understand why. But when a mysterious old man is spotted on Storey Street, it heralds the start of a great adventure for Kay. Because Wilf Wilkinson isn't your average, cardigan-wearing, sherbet lemon-sucking old codger. Oh no. Wilf wears a cloak, and a strange pointy hat, and his walking stick looks suspiciously like an over-sized wand. Wilf couldn't be a wizard ... could he?
Early Readers are stepping stones from picture books to reading books. A blue Early Reader is perfect for sharing and reaading together. A red Early Reader is the next step on your reading journey. Marvin loves going on his adventures with his grandad - escaping from hairy yetis, taking daytrips to Mars, and hunting ferocious tigers - all without leaving the house. Marvin thinks his grandad is the bravest person he's ever met; he even has a medal from the war to prove it. And, more than anything else, Marvin wants to be brave too. But when Grandad must go on his final adventure alone, Marvin finds he has to be braver than he's ever been before. Until he discovers that Grandad has left behind a very special surprise just for him . . . A touching and poignant Early Reader story, perfect for children coming to terms with grief for the first time.
Stanley is a normal little boy, whose dad just happens to be the greatest superhero on the planet. Six days a week, Dad saves the world from disasters, aliens, and bad guys. Friday is his day off and he always spends it with Stan. But one Friday, Dad and Stan meet a series of people desperately in need of Dad's help. Soon Stan finds himself saving a lion stuck up a tree, rescuing a monster truck from a ditch and taking on shark-infested floodwaters. That's right: Stan is a chip off the old (superhero) block! High quality cream paper and a special easy to read font ensure a smooth read for all.
When Mikey's dad died, something in Mikey died too. He loved his old man and he never stopped dreaming that one day his dad would land the role of a lifetime, prove them all wrong, and rock back up to the estate in the flashiest car anyone had ever seen. Now there's just numbness, and not caring, and really, really stupid decisions. He says the worst of it is that he can't evenremember his dad's voice any more. Eventually Mikey's best mate can't bear it any more, and so he sets out to give Mikey the memories - and his dad's voice - back.
The third hilarious children's novel from Demolition Dad and Superhero Street author Phil Earle, illustrated by Waterstones Children's Book Prize shortlisted artist, Sara Ogilvie. Perfect for fans of Roald Dahl, Liz Pichon and David Walliams. Masher is the bully of Storey Street. No one ever dares stand up to him and that's the way he likes it. But then Jemima and her family move into the plot of land next door. Jemima isn't afraid of him at all, and she's making him look like a bit of a wimp. To Masher, that just means one thing: war. (At least until teatime...)
'A laugh-out-loud read full of capes and japes! If you like Superheroes this is right down your Street!' - Danny Wallace, presenter and bestselling author. Illustrated by Waterstones Children's Book Prize shortlisted artist, Sara Ogilvie, this is the second book in Demolition Dad author Phil Earle's children's series, Storey Street. Perfect for fans of Roald Dahl, Liz Pichon and David Walliams, each book in this laugh-out-loud series focuses on a different neighbour. Mouse is desperate to be a superhero. To find that power that will make him stand out in the crowd. But his every attempt ends in failure. He can't even get any attention at home as his five brothers (triplets AND twins) take every second of mum and dad's attention. When mum foils a bank robbery while on duty as a lollipop lady, she and Mouse are lauded as superheroes. Joining forces with Mouse are The Z List - a group of unlikely crime-fighters. But in their midst is a traitor hell-bent on revenge. Will Mouse be super enough to spot this danger, and is he brave enough to do anything about it?
CBBC Book of the Month, June 2017 Perfect for fans of David Walliams, Roald Dahl and Liz Pichon, this is a hilarious and warm-hearted story about family, friends and wrestling by multi-award-shortlisted author Phil Earle, illustrated by award-winning artist, Sara Ogilvie. This is the story of Jake Biggs and his dad, George. George spends all week knocking down buildings ... and all weekend knocking down wrestlers! He's the Demolition Man, and Jake couldn't be prouder. But when Jake hears about a pro-wrestling competition in the USA, and persuades his beloved dad to apply, things don't quite turn out the way he expected ... Phil Earle's first novel for younger readers of 9-11, DEMOLITION DAD is DANNY THE CHAMPION OF THE WORLD in Spandex, a book bursting with humour and heart. Perfect for Father's Day this June!
Early Readers are stepping stones from picture books to reading books. A blue Early Reader is perfect for sharing and reading together. A red Early Reader is the next step on your reading journey. Albert LOVES football. But he HATES the Garden of Doom next door. He's always kicking his footballs into it, and he can't go and get them back - Mr Creaky lives next door, and Albert is terrified of him. But when he kicks his friend Errol's ball into the Garden of Doom, Albert knows that he has to be brave. Could there be more to Mr Creaky than meets the eye? Could he be a jewel thief? A wizard? A secret agent? Albert doesn't know... but he's about to find out! The first Early Reader story from a talented and unique voice in children's fiction. Phil Earle is a CARNEGIE MEDAL shortlisted author whose hard-hitting YA novels have been widely acclaimed.
'For the past five weeks I'd prayed that I'd never see my brother's name spelt out in poppies. In the weeks that followed I often wished I had.' Jammy and Sonny McGann are brothers, but that's where the similarities end. One is calm when the other is angry; one has a plan while the other lives purely in the moment. When Jammy returns from Afghanistan a very different man to the one who left, it's Sonny who is left to hold things together. But just how far will he go to save the brother who always put him first? Inspired by S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders and by the battles facing young soldiers all over the world, this is a devastating novel about brotherhood and sacrifice, from the award-winning author of Being Billy and Saving Daisy. ** Being Billy won the 2012 weRead Book Award, and was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize and Branford Boase Award. ** Visit Phil Earle's author website at www.philearle.com. Phil Earle was born, raised and schooled in Hull. His first job was as a care worker in a children's home, an experience that influenced the ideas behind Being Billy and Saving Daisy. He then trained as a drama therapist and worked in a therapeutic community in south London, caring for traumatized and abused adolescents. After a couple of years in the care sector, Phil chose the more sedate lifestyle of a bookseller, and now works in children's publishing. Phil lives in south-east London with his wife and children, but Hull will always be home.
Saving Daisy is the second critically novel by Phil Earle ***HEROIC, Phil Earle's hugely anticipated third novel is out on 24 April 2013*** Daisy's mum is gone. Her dad refuses to talk about it. As far as Daisy's concerned, it's all her fault. As her life starts to spiral out of control, panic leads to tragedy and Daisy's left alone. But sometimes the kindness of a stranger can turn things around. A stranger who desperately wants to save Daisy - if she'll only let herself be saved . . . A powerful and moving story linked to Phil Earle's critically acclaimed debut book, Being Billy. Praise for Being Billy: 'A wonderful book' - Morris Gleitzman 'Phil Earle writes starkly but sensitively in this brilliant page-turning novel. It moved me to tears' - Jacqueline Wilson 'This may be the most authoritative, honest and moving account of children trapped in the care system to date' - Keith Gray, Scotsman 'life-affirming, redemptive, and really just rather good' - Marcus Sedgwick, Guardian 'Moving and powerful, I loved it' - Sophie McKenzie 'Being Billy was a total page-turner - authentic and gritty. Billy's voice doesn't falter . . . spiky, brave and compassionate - Jenny Downham
Being Billy is the award-winning first novel by Phil Earle. ***Heroic, Phil Earle's hugely anticipated third novel is out on 24 April 2013*** Faces flashed before my eyes. And for every face there was a time that they had let me down. Each punch that landed was revenge, my chance to tell them I hadn't forgotten what they did. Eight years in a care home makes Billy Finn a professional lifer. And Billy's angry - with the system, the social workers, and the mother that gave him away. As far as Billy's concerned, he's on his own. His little brother and sister keep him going, though they can't keep him out of trouble. But he isn't being difficult on purpose. Billy's just being Billy. He can't be anything else. Can he? 'Phil Earle writes starkly but sensitively about damaged children in this brilliant page-turning novel. It moved me to tears' - Jacqueline Wilson 'Being Billy was a total page-turner - authentic and gritty. Billy's voice doesn't falter . . . spiky, brave and compassionate' - Jenny Downham, author of Before I Die 'Moving and powerful, I loved it' - Sophie McKenzie Phil Earle was born, raised and schooled in Hull. His first job was as a care worker in a children's home, an experience that influenced the ideas behind Being Billy. He then trained as a drama therapist and worked in a therapeutic community in south London, caring for traumatized and abused adolescents. After a couple of years in the care sector, Phil chose the more sedate lifestyle of a bookseller, and now works in children's publishing. Phil lives in south-east London with his wife and children, but Hull will always be home.
The new book from the award-winning Phil Earle, author of Heroic and Being Billy. 'Have finished BUBBLE-WRAP BOY. If happy tears/snot smeared across face were legal currency, @philearle would be rich. So warm, and so funny' - Katherine Rundell, author of Rooftoppers. All my life I've been tiny Charlie from the Chinese Chippie, whose only friend is Sinus, the kid who stares at walls. But I believe that everyone's good at something. I've just got to work out what my something is... Charlie's found his secret talent: skateboarding. It's his one-way ticket to popularity. All he's got to do is practice, and nothing's going to stop him - not his clumsiness, not his overprotective mum, nothing. Except Charlie isn't the only one in his family hiding a massive secret, and his next discovery will change everything. How do you stay on the board when your world is turned upside down? Phil Earle was born, raised and schooled in Hull. His first job was as a care worker in a children's home, an experience that influenced the ideas behind Being Billy and Saving Daisy. He then trained as a drama therapist and worked in a therapeutic community in south London, caring for traumatized and abused adolescents. After a couple of years in the care sector, Phil chose the more sedate lifestyle of a bookseller, and now works in children's publishing. Phil lives in south-east London with his wife and children, but Hull will always be home.
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