Overview
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Matthew wants to fit in, but it’s hard when you’re avoiding the bullies and trying to impress your dream girl, Ari. When Ari’s bike is stolen, he tries to make a good impression by getting it back. Will it lead to trouble or will he learn that heroes are found in unlikely places?
A gritty, touching story from Carnegie Medal Winner Anthony McGowan.Reviews
"Carnegie medal winner McGowan is superb at stories about children who do not have all the advantages. In this succinct and poignant rite-of-passage story he gets inside the head of Matthew, a school outcast whose mother is not always up to the job of mothering. It carries you irresistably with him from first to last." —Sunday Times
"This is an emotionally charged story that unflinchingly tackles very challenging themes of poverty, neglect and bullying. Yet it is also full of hope as Matthew finds that friendship and change can be found in unexpected places. Matthew is brave in his choices, though he perhaps doesn’t entirely think them through – but this of course makes them all the more relatable and understandable." —BookTrust
"A multilayered tale of loss and renewal with elements both topical and universal." —Kirkus Reviews on Dogs of the Deadlands
Author Biography
Anthony McGowan was born in Manchester in 1965 and his experiences at school gave him the stories and characters he's been writing about ever since. Most of his books are a mixture of comedy and serious ideas and issues, such as bullying and mental illness. McGowan now lives in London with his wife, two children and a dog called Monty. He has won many awards for his writing, including the Carnegie Medal, the oldest and most prestigious award for children's literature, for Lark.