LoveReading4Kids Says
An astonishing debut. Moving. Funny. Explosive. And most of all, unexpected...As powerful as Frank Cottrell Boyce's Millions.
A Piece of Passion from Ali Dougal, Catherine's Editor at Egmont Books:
We Can Be Heroes is the sort of book that I dreamt of working on when I decided I wanted to be an editor. It’s a book that pushes boundaries; it addresses racial and class issues and explodes stereotypes . . . but most of all it’s funny, moving, madcap and utterly unputdownable.
Catherine Bruton took inspiration from various sources when writing the book: the kids she teaches who love manga, a boy she met whose father had died in the 7/7 bombings and an article she had written previously about children whose parents died in the 9/11 attacks. This is what gives the novel such depth and integrity, and makes the voice really shine. In some ways, Catherine’s writing reminds me of Frank Cottrell Boyce’s work: she delivers a cracking rollercoaster of a plot, beautifully observed and full of unforgettable characters. We Can Be Heroes is a novel with heart and soul and real staying power that offers something to everyone from 11-111. It’s Catherine’s first book for children and young adults (her second, Pop!, is coming in 2012) and I have no doubt that readers will fall in love with it just as much as I have.
LoveReading4Kids
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We Can be Heroes Synopsis
My dad was killed in the 9/11 attacks in New York. But the stuff in this book isn't about that. It's about the summer my mum went away. The summer that me and Jed and Priti tried to catch a suicide bomber and prevent an honour killing. There's stuff about how we built a tree house and joined the bomb squad; how I found my dad and Jed lost his; and how we both lost our mums then found them again. So it's not really about 9/11 but, then again, none of those things would have happened if it hadn't been for that day. So I guess it's all back to front, sort of...
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9781405256520 |
| Publication date: |
1st August 2011 |
| Author: |
Catherine Bruton |
| Publisher: |
Egmont Books Ltd an imprint of Egmont Childrens Books |
| Format: |
Paperback |
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Catherine Bruton Press Reviews
'This is a book with high ambitions - it tries to do many things and pulls them all off - tender, sad, but also tense and exciting. An excellent read.' Anthony McGowan
About Catherine Bruton
Catherine Bruton studied English at Oxford University and has been juggling life as a teacher, children’s author and mum for the past fifteen years. As an English teacher at King Edward’s School, Bath, she sees first-hand the impact stories can have on young readers – opening their eyes, expanding their horizons, making them ask questions and see the world differently.
Her books tackle some of the big issues faced by young people today – terrorism, immigration, the cult of celebrity, the refugee crisis – in ways that are heart-breaking, often hilarious, but invariably hopeful.
Her multi-award nominated debut, We Can Be Heroes was recently made into a film starring Alison Steadman and Phil Davies and, as an ‘extra’ on the film set, Catherine got to realise her a lifelong dream when she actually got to spend a day living in one of her own stories!
No Ballet Shoes in Syria received much acclaim on publication in 2019, was nominated for the 2020 CILIP Carnegie Medal, featured as a BBC Bitesize text and was selected as The Times Children’s Book of the Week as well as sweeping the reviews pages of most national newspapers.
She is also the author of I Predict a Riot and Pop! And as her alter-ego Cate Shearwater, she is the author of the much-loved Somersaults and Dreams series.
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