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Find out moreA.L. Kennedy is the author of three works of non-fiction, and five short story collections including All The Rage. Her seventh novel Serious Sweet will appear this year. She won the Costa Book of the Year for her novel Day, has twice been selected as one of Granta's Best of Young British Novelists and is a Fellow of both the Royal Society of Arts and the Royal Society of Literature. She is also a dramatist and broadcaster and she has a regular blog with The Guardian Online. She lives in London.
Children who like their stories filled with larger-than-life characters, crazy comedy and the reassuring sense that love and goodness will win out, will really enjoy A.L Kennedy’s Uncle Shawn books. In the first book in this series, little Badger Bill needed rescuing from a particularly nasty couple; now the tables are turned and everyone’s best friend Uncle Shawn has been locked up by the awful ‘Dr’ P’Klawz, whose ambition is to rid the country of all types of fun and – above all – Unusualness. The action is fast and very funny, and leaves readers in no doubt that unusualness in every form is to be encouraged. Filled with some wonderful images (P’Klawz grins ‘like a cruel iceberg’) it’s made for reading aloud, and Gemma Correll’s black and white illustrations are an added treat.
February 2017 Book of the Month | In a nutshell: gentle badgers versus greedy farmers, no contest! | Could badgers take the place of penguins at the top the charts of cuddly, lovable stars of children’s books? Certainly, if Badger Bill is anything to go by. His happy life is horribly interrupted when he is snatched by the thoroughly nasty Maude and Ethel McGloone. They plan to force him into a boxing match with their vicious dogs, and they’ve got equally mean plans for a family of llamas they’re holding hostage too. Fortunately, help is on the way in the shambling form of Uncle Shawn, one of the kindest and best humans in the world. The Dahlesque wickedness of the McGloones forms a wonderful contrast to the gentle benevolence shown by Uncle Shawn and there’s a zany, madcap humour and surreal logic to it all which is delightfully engaging. It would be fun to compare Ethel and Maude with Aunts Sponge and Spiker in James and the Giant Peach. Children who enjoy the mix of crazy comedy, jeopardy and warmth will also appreciate Philip Ardagh’s stories of The Grunts. ~ Andrea Reece
The fourth book in a hilarious, heart-warming series for children from Costa Award-winning author A.L. Kennedy, illustrated by celebrated cartoonist Gemma Correll. Hold onto your underpants - there's a mysterious purple bottom explosion problem plaguing the world, and no one knows what to do! No one, that is, apart from Uncle Shawn. He knows he and his best friend, Badger Bill, can fix everything by visiting the Living Fish Tree at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. As long as there is no dastardly villain with an army of evil clockwork clones on the loose, everything will be fine. And how likely is that...?
The fourth book in a hilarious, heart-warming series for children from Costa Award-winning author A.L. Kennedy, illustrated by celebrated cartoonist Gemma Correll. Hold onto your underpants - there's a mysterious purple bottom explosion problem plaguing the world, and no one knows what to do! No one, that is, apart from Uncle Shawn. He knows he and his best friend, Badger Bill, can fix everything by visiting the Living Fish Tree at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. As long as there is no dastardly villain with an army of evil clockwork clones on the loose, everything will be fine. And how likely is that...?
The third book in a hilarious, heart-warming series for children from Costa Award-winning author A.L. Kennedy, illustrated by celebrated cartoonist Gemma Correll. Uncle Shawn and his best friend Badger Bill are back for another brilliantly bonkers adventure. They've seen off the nasty Dr P'Klawz with the help of their trusty llama pals, and now everything on their farm up on the sunny side of Scotland is just about perfect. Apart from the moon needing rescuing and a suspicious lady badger setting her sights on Bill... What could possibly go wrong?
'Charming lessons in life, death and kindness . . . Hugely moving' Observer This is the story of Mary, a young girl born in a beautiful city full of rose gardens and fluttering kites. When she is still very small, Mary meets Lanmo, a shining golden snake, who becomes her very best friend. The snake visits Mary many times, he sees her grow and her city change, as bombs drop and war creeps in. Lanmo wonders, can having a friend possibly be worth the pain of knowing you will lose them?
The third book in a hilarious, heart-warming series for children from Costa Award-winning author A.L. Kennedy, illustrated by Gemma Correll. Uncle Shawn and his best friend Badger Bill are back for another brilliantly bonkers adventure. They've seen off the nasty Dr P'Klawz with the help of their trusty llama pals, and now everything on their farm up on the sunny side of Scotland is just about perfect. Apart from the moon needing rescuing and a suspicious lady badger setting her sights on Bill... What could possibly go wrong?
The second book in a hilarious, heart-warming series for children from Costa Award-winning author A.L. Kennedy, illustrated by Gemma Correll. Badger Bill loves his best friend Uncle Shawn. But he has started to notice that Uncle Shawn is a bit unusual. Dr P'Klawz hates Uncle Shawn. He has also noticed that Uncle Shawn is a bit unusual - pajimminy crimminy unusual, in fact. It looks like Badger Bill is going to need a plan, or Uncle Shawn might be sent to the Institution for Maximum Security and Unusualness Curing for ever. But all Bill has to help him are four bickering llamas, one pirate boy and one invisible girl. What could possibly go wrong?
The second book in a hilarious, heart-warming series for children from Costa Award-winning author A.L. Kennedy, illustrated by Gemma Correll.Badger Bill loves his best friend Uncle Shawn. But he has started to notice that Uncle Shawn is a bit unusual.Dr P'Klawz hates Uncle Shawn. He has also noticed that Uncle Shawn is a bit unusual - pajimminy crimminy unusual, in fact.It looks like Badger Bill is going to need a plan, or Uncle Shawn might be sent to the Institution for Maximum Security and Unusualness Curing for ever. But all Bill has to help him are four bickering llamas, one pirate boy and one invisible girl. What could possibly go wrong?
The second book in a hilarious, heart-warming series for children from Costa Award-winning author A.L. Kennedy, illustrated by Gemma Correll.Badger Bill loves his best friend Uncle Shawn. But he has started to notice that Uncle Shawn is a bit unusual.Dr P'Klawz hates Uncle Shawn. He has also noticed that Uncle Shawn is a bit unusual - pajimminy crimminy unusual, in fact.It looks like Badger Bill is going to need a plan, or Uncle Shawn might be sent to the Institution for Maximum Security and Unusualness Curing for ever. But all Bill has to help him are four bickering llamas, one pirate boy and one invisible girl. What could possibly go wrong?
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