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Anthony McGowan is the author of many critically acclaimed YA novels and won the 2006 BookTrust Teenage Prize, the 2007 Catalyst Award and has been shortlisted for a raft of other major children’s literature prizes, including the Carnegie Medal for Rook in 2018. McGowan was born in Manchester, attended school in Leeds and now lives in London.
Photo credit Jerry Bauer
Winner of the CILIP Carnegie Medal 2020 | Longlisted for the UKLA Book Awards 2020 | February 2019 Book of the Month | A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month July 2020 | Interest Age Teen Reading Age 9 | Cleverly set within a gripping adventure, Lark is a deeply touching story of the special bond between brothers. Older brother Nicky narrates the story of the day he and his younger brother Kenny set out on a simple day out on the moors. Proposed by their father as a way of filling time while they wait nervously for their mum to return from her new life in Canada, it is meant to a fun day out tinged with a bit of nostalgia as they are retracing a walk that he used to enjoy. But the simple walk which begins in a light hearted way soon becomes a deadly dangerous adventure as the weather conditions close in, the boys get completely lost and Kenny has to show exceptional courage and intelligence to make sure he can get Kenny home safely. Anthony McGowan maintains the intensity of the story throughout while also keeping the writing simple.
Interest Age Teen Reading Age 8+ | Expert Review for Brock by Julia Eccleshare: Nicky knows he must do everything in his power to save the innocent and brave badger. But fighting the three local bullies whose cruelty towards it seems to know no bounds is an incredible challenge. With his father drifting into depression and his younger brother needing constant supervision, Nicky has enough on his hands already but he knows the real value of nature and knows he cannot stand by and see such wilful destruction. A powerful story about the importance of protecting wildlife.Expert review for Pike by Andrea Reece:Not a word is wasted in this fine novel. On one level it is a thriller: fishing on Bacon Pond Nicky spots a glint of gold in its murky depths, and recognises the Rolex owned by a local gangster. It seems to be still attached to his wrist. Nicky feels that the gangster owes him and his family, and sets out to retrieve the Rolex with the help of his brother Kenny. Nicky’s search for the watch results in a series of events that will change his and his family’s life for the better. McGowan writes in prose as spare and effective as that of Barry Hines, to whom the book is dedicated, and there’s an extraordinary depth and elegance to this story. An outstanding novel.Expert review for Rook by Andrea Reece:This finely written story speaks directly to readers in language that is frill free but shines with original, precise imagery. It opens with a scene in which a young rook is attacked by a larger bird. Nicky and his younger brother Kenny save it. As the bird hovers between life and death, Nicky’s own future is in the balance: an incident with the school bully sees him facing expulsion, at the same time he’s tentatively trying to start a relationship with a girl he fancies. For all his nerve Nicky is vulnerable, and things could easily go wrong for him, instead they start to look up. He isn’t expelled, Sarah likes him too, and Rooky is taken in by the animal sanctuary despite being, in Nicky’s dad’s words, ‘too common and too scruffy and too much trouble. Bit like us, eh?’ There’s a lot of story effortlessly packed into this short novel and readers will be very happy for Nicky. Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant and dyslexic readers of 13+
November 2017 Book of the Month | Interest Age 5-8 In a nutshell: Ho, ho … oh? It’s Christmas Eve and Jo-Jo’s parents are arguing again. After a particularly upsetting outburst from his mum, the idea lodges in Jo-Jo’s mind that he is responsible for ‘killing Christmas’ and that it’s therefore his duty to step into Father Christmas’s shoes and distribute presents, at the very least to people in his street. So far so interesting, touching and festive – Jo-Jo really has discovered the true meaning of Christmas. But this is Anthony McGowan, an author who is always ready to surprise readers and to subvert expectations, and there’s a delicious if dark shock in the final scene. Chris Riddell’s unmistakable illustrations are the perfect match to this witty, original story. 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.
UKLA Longlist Book Awards - 2019 | Shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal 2018 | Interest Age Teen Reading Age 8 This finely written story speaks directly to readers in language that is frill free but shines with original, precise imagery. It opens with a scene in which a young rook is attacked by a larger bird. Nicky and his younger brother Kenny save it. As the bird hovers between life and death, Nicky’s own future is in the balance: an incident with the school bully sees him facing expulsion, at the same time he’s tentatively trying to start a relationship with a girl he fancies. For all his nerve Nicky is vulnerable, and things could easily go wrong for him, instead they start to look up. He isn’t expelled, Sarah likes him too, and Rooky is taken in by the animal sanctuary despite being, in Nicky’s dad’s words, ‘too common and too scruffy and too much trouble. Bit like us, eh?’ There’s a lot of story effortlessly packed into this short novel and readers will be very happy for Nicky. Readers shouldn’t miss the two previous books in this trilogy, Brock and Pike.
Interest Age Teen Reading Age 8+. Powerful novel by an award-winning author, charting a boy’s harrowing schooldays in a sink estate in Liverpool. Two's company and three's a crowd, one has got to go. This is a terrifically taut and short novel and perfect for reluctant and struggling readers as it has a reading age of around 8 but an interest age appropriate for teens. Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant and dyslexic readers aged 13+ 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.
Interest Age Teen Reading Age 8+ Not a word is wasted in this fine novel. On one level it is a thriller: fishing on Bacon Pond Nicky spots a glint of gold in its murky depths, and recognises the Rolex owned by a local gangster. It seems to be still attached to his wrist. Nicky feels that the gangster owes him and his family, and sets out to retrieve the Rolex with the help of his brother Kenny. Nicky’s search for the watch results in a series of events that will change his and his family’s life for the better. McGowan writes in prose as spare and effective as that of Barry Hines, to whom the book is dedicated, and there’s an extraordinary depth and elegance to this story. An outstanding novel. ~ Andrea Reece One of our Dyslexia Friendly Books of the Year 2015 | Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant and dyslexic readers aged 12+ 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. .......................... Read a special Q&A with Anthony McGowan on his novels Pike and Brock.
Python Adventure is the next authorised Willard Price book by award-winning author Anthony McGowan, for 8+ readers looking for action, adventure and animals!
Eva - a very popular girl - is found dead at the beginning of the book - the narrative unwinds from 6 different viewpoints and keeps wrong-footing the reader all the way to the end. A great teen thriller that will be appreciated across the ages.
Bear Adventure is the next authorised Willard Price book by award-winning author Anthony McGowan, for 8+ readers looking for action, adventure and animals!
Longlisted for the Carnegie Medal 2014 - One of our Dyslexia Friendly Books of the Year 2013 - Interest Age Teen Reading Age 8+ Nicky knows he must do everything in his power to save the innocent and brave badger. But fighting the three local bullies whose cruelty towards it seems to know no bounds is an incredible challenge. With his father drifting into depression and his younger brother needing constant supervision, Nicky has enough on his hands already but he knows the real value of nature and knows he cannot stand by and see such wilful destruction. A powerful story about the importance of protecting wildlife. Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant and dyslexic readers of 13+ ............................ Read a special Q&A with Anthony McGowan on his novels Pike and Brock.
Shark Adventure is an authorised Willard Price book by award-winning author Anthony McGowan, for 8+ readers. Full of action, adventure and animals!
There's an adventure, animals and action in the first authorized Willard Price book by award-winning author Anthony McGowan, for 8+ readers. Over 5 million copies of the original Adventure series by Willard Price were sold and this new book is published in July 2012 to mark the 125th anniversary of Willard Price's birth.
Interest Age 11+ Reading Age 8+. Powerful novel by an award-winning author, charting a boy’s harrowing schooldays in a sink estate in Liverpool. Two's company and three's a crowd, one has got to go. This is a terrifically taut and short novel and perfect for reluctant and struggling readers as it has a reading age of around 8 but an interest age appropriate for teens. To view other titles we think are suitable for reluctant readers please click here. A Dyslexia Friendly title.
Michael Rosen: 'A crazy adventure set amongst the kids you don't want to know but who this book makes you really, really care about."This is one of Michael's chosen favourite books. A World Book Day 'Recommended Read' for 2011. A World Book Day 'Recommended Read' for 2011. Shortlisted for The Roald Dahl Funniest Book Prize 2010 for Children aged 7-14. This is a nail-bitingly scary but hilarious story by a prize-winning author, featuring a stinking alien commander, eight freaky kids and a pair of faded Y-fronts. When crazy Uncle Otto warns of imminent invasion from outer space, his maths geek nephew Alexander takes on the task of saving the world. He recruits a ragged crew of school superheroes to help him, including Tortoise Boy, armed with Cedric the tortoise, the Human Hurricane, who possesses untold power in his bottom, and Really Annoying Girl. But can this wild and wacky trio ever hope to save the world armed just with a pack of cards, some toy ray-guns and a pair of old pants for help?
A brilliantly funny and utterly inventive tale of useless superheroes and disgusting aliens from the acclaimed Anthony McGowan, ideal for boys of 9-11.
Michael Rosen: 'A crazy adventure set amongst the kids you don't want to know but who this book makes you really, really care about."This is one of Michael's chosen favourite books. A World Book Day 'Recommended Read' for 2011. A World Book Day 'Recommended Read' for 2011. Shortlisted for The Roald Dahl Funniest Book Prize 2010 for Children aged 7-14. This is a nail-bitingly scary but hilarious story by a prize-winning author, featuring a stinking alien commander, eight freaky kids and a pair of faded Y-fronts. When crazy Uncle Otto warns of imminent invasion from outer space, his maths geek nephew Alexander takes on the task of saving the world. He recruits a ragged crew of school superheroes to help him, including Tortoise Boy, armed with Cedric the tortoise, the Human Hurricane, who possesses untold power in his bottom, and Really Annoying Girl. But can this wild and wacky trio ever hope to save the world armed just with a pack of cards, some toy ray-guns and a pair of old pants for help?
A brilliantly funny and utterly inventive tale of useless superheroes and disgusting aliens from the acclaimed Anthony McGowan, ideal for boys of 9-11.
February 2010 Guest Editor Robert Muchamore on The Knife that Killed Me. I’ve always answered every fan who e-mails me. Questions about me or my books are easy enough to answer (yes we’re working on a CHERUB film, yes I’ll send you an autograph, no you can’t have a free book, no I’m not answering that list of 15 questions thus doing your entire homework assignment for you). But the trickiest question is, ‘I really liked your books, what else can I read?’. Knife tops a list of three (along with Sophie McKenzie’s Girl, Missing and Graham McNamee’s Bonechiller). It’s one of those rare kids’ books that manages to be clever without seeming preachy. Best of all there’s a scene where a kid gets peed on that I liked so much I stole it. Shortlisted for the Young Minds Award 2009. No holds are barred in this gripping story about knife crime. And there's no way to put it down…Tautly written, it captures how diffident Paul tries to chart his way through rival classroom gangs. Being an outsider is dangerous and Paul becomes a victim when the violence batween the two groups flares up out of control.
Winner of the Booktrust teenage prize in 2006, Henry Tumour is exceedingly funny, compulsive, thought-provoking, challenging, dark and tragic by turns. As Mal Peet, another author of brilliant teenage fiction said, ‘Henry Tumour is a boisterous, anarchic, frequently vulgar comedy. It is also a wise, sensitive, questioning novel about the opposing forces that make us what we are’.
Matthew is 14 and is struggling to fit in - something that's extra hard when you're taking care of your mum, being bullied at school, and have earned the nickname Stinky Mog because of your poor personal hygiene. On top of all that, he wants to catch the attention of one of the coolest girls in school, Ari. Ari doesn't walk: she floats, like mist on the water. And she's as sporty as she is cool. When Ari's brand new bike is stolen, Matthew spots his chance to make a good impression by getting it back for her... But will he just end up in even more trouble or is Matthew is about to learn that friendship and heroes can be found in unlikely places? This is a gritty yet touching story of one teenager's struggles with bullying and isolation, written by Carnegie Medal Winning author Anthony McGowan, and is perfect for less-confident readers.
Monty was just like any other dog. A scruffy and irascible Maltese terrier, he enjoyed barking at pugs and sniffing at trees. But after yet another dramatic confrontation with the local Rottweiler, Anthony McGowan realises it's high time he and Monty had a chat about what makes him a good or a bad dog. And they don't stop at ethics. Taking his cue from Monty's canine antics, McGowan leads us on an enlightening jaunt through the world of philosophy. Will Kant convince Monty to stop stealing cheesecake? How long will they put up with Socrates poking holes in every argument? Do they have free will to pursue answers to these questions? Join the dutiful duo as they set out to uncover who - if anyone - has the right end of the ethical stick and can tell us how best to live one's life. But there is also a shadow over their conversations. Monty is not well... And so towards the end the biggest questions raise their heads: is there a God? Does life have a meaning? By the time of their last walk together, Monty - and the reader - will find that they have not just solved a few philosophical puzzles, but absorbed much of the history of Western philosophy.
Monty was just like any other dog. A scruffy and irascible Maltese terrier, he enjoyed barking at pugs and sniffing at trees. But after yet another dramatic confrontation with the local Rottweiler, Anthony McGowan realises it's high time he and Monty had a chat about what makes him a good or a bad dog. And they don't stop at ethics. Taking his cue from Monty's canine antics, McGowan leads us on an enlightening jaunt through the world of philosophy. Will Kant convince Monty to stop stealing cheesecake? How long will they put up with Socrates poking holes in every argument? Do they have free will to pursue answers to these questions? Join the dutiful duo as they set out to uncover who - if anyone - has the right end of the ethical stick and can tell us how best to live one's life. But there is also a shadow over their conversations. Monty is not well... And so towards the end the biggest questions raise their heads: is there a God? Does life have a meaning? By the time of their last walk together, Monty - and the reader - will find that they have not just solved a few philosophical puzzles, but absorbed much of the history of Western philosophy.
Winner of the CILIP Carnegie Medal 2020 | Longlisted for the UKLA Book Awards 2020 | February 2019 Book of the Month | A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month July 2020 | Interest Age Teen Reading Age 9 | Cleverly set within a gripping adventure, Lark is a deeply touching story of the special bond between brothers. Older brother Nicky narrates the story of the day he and his younger brother Kenny set out on a simple day out on the moors. Proposed by their father as a way of filling time while they wait nervously for their mum to return from her new life in Canada, it is meant to a fun day out tinged with a bit of nostalgia as they are retracing a walk that he used to enjoy. But the simple walk which begins in a light hearted way soon becomes a deadly dangerous adventure as the weather conditions close in, the boys get completely lost and Kenny has to show exceptional courage and intelligence to make sure he can get Kenny home safely. Anthony McGowan maintains the intensity of the story throughout while also keeping the writing simple.
Interest Age Teen Reading Age 8+ | Expert Review for Brock by Julia Eccleshare: Nicky knows he must do everything in his power to save the innocent and brave badger. But fighting the three local bullies whose cruelty towards it seems to know no bounds is an incredible challenge. With his father drifting into depression and his younger brother needing constant supervision, Nicky has enough on his hands already but he knows the real value of nature and knows he cannot stand by and see such wilful destruction. A powerful story about the importance of protecting wildlife.Expert review for Pike by Andrea Reece:Not a word is wasted in this fine novel. On one level it is a thriller: fishing on Bacon Pond Nicky spots a glint of gold in its murky depths, and recognises the Rolex owned by a local gangster. It seems to be still attached to his wrist. Nicky feels that the gangster owes him and his family, and sets out to retrieve the Rolex with the help of his brother Kenny. Nicky’s search for the watch results in a series of events that will change his and his family’s life for the better. McGowan writes in prose as spare and effective as that of Barry Hines, to whom the book is dedicated, and there’s an extraordinary depth and elegance to this story. An outstanding novel.Expert review for Rook by Andrea Reece:This finely written story speaks directly to readers in language that is frill free but shines with original, precise imagery. It opens with a scene in which a young rook is attacked by a larger bird. Nicky and his younger brother Kenny save it. As the bird hovers between life and death, Nicky’s own future is in the balance: an incident with the school bully sees him facing expulsion, at the same time he’s tentatively trying to start a relationship with a girl he fancies. For all his nerve Nicky is vulnerable, and things could easily go wrong for him, instead they start to look up. He isn’t expelled, Sarah likes him too, and Rooky is taken in by the animal sanctuary despite being, in Nicky’s dad’s words, ‘too common and too scruffy and too much trouble. Bit like us, eh?’ There’s a lot of story effortlessly packed into this short novel and readers will be very happy for Nicky. Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant and dyslexic readers of 13+
Ludo, Noah, Jamie, Phillip and Jennifer are THE BARE BUM GANG! They have an embarrassing name but a cool Gang Den, so things could be worse. Join the gang in a new adventure as they battle the forces of the evil Dockery Gang, guard with their lives the secrets of their underground sweet stash, and still get home in time for tea. Ludo and Noah go to the aid of an old tramp who has collapsed after being hassled by the Dockery gang. Everyone thinks he's a little bit crazy as he dresses in home made armour - his nickname is King Arthur. King Arthur asks Ludo to retrieve his 'treasure' and so the gang have to sneak past security guards and overcome various obstacles to help the old man. But can they get to the treasure before anyone else?
An Observer book of the year HAUNTED! By endless tiny humiliations. STRUGGLING! To resurrect the corpse of his literary career. ENSNARED! In a loving yet bamboozling marriage. A man at odds with the universe, Anthony McGowan stumbles from one improbable fiasco to the next. On the mean streets of West Hampstead he reflects upon all that is at the heart of life itself - socks with holes, underwhelming packed lunches, broken washing machines, Kierkegaard, liver salts, British Library eccentricities and disapproving ladies on trains. In this chronicle of one man's daily failures and disappointments, McGowan can't help but speak his mind - with cringeworthy and hilarious results.
November 2017 Book of the Month | Interest Age 5-8 In a nutshell: Ho, ho … oh? It’s Christmas Eve and Jo-Jo’s parents are arguing again. After a particularly upsetting outburst from his mum, the idea lodges in Jo-Jo’s mind that he is responsible for ‘killing Christmas’ and that it’s therefore his duty to step into Father Christmas’s shoes and distribute presents, at the very least to people in his street. So far so interesting, touching and festive – Jo-Jo really has discovered the true meaning of Christmas. But this is Anthony McGowan, an author who is always ready to surprise readers and to subvert expectations, and there’s a delicious if dark shock in the final scene. Chris Riddell’s unmistakable illustrations are the perfect match to this witty, original story. 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.
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