What if you suddenly had everything you'd ever dreamed of? That's exactly what happens to 10-year-old Joe Smith in this brand-new comedy adventure from bestselling author, comedian and presenter Danny Wallace - hilariously read aloud by Danny himself.
Perfect for children age 8+ and fans of David Baddiel, Stephen Mangan, David Walliams, Andy Griffiths, Jenny Pearson and Helen Rutter.
Joe Smith is average in every way. He is average height. He lives in an average town, on an average street, in an average house, with a very average family. But when a survey identifies him as the most average kid in the country - well that makes him very special indeed. Suddenly, everyone wants Joe to test out their latest products. Overnight he is sent mountains of gifts - the best trainers, the coolest bike, the most exciting new tech, the latest flavours of ice cream - and so much more. He gets special cinema screenings and the entire water park all to himself. Joe now has everything he could possibly want in the world - and that's far from average.
But is going from zero to hero all it's cracked up to be?
This brilliantly warm-hearted, laugh-out-loud family adventure will leave you thinking about friendship, family and why everyone is special just the way they are.
Other books by Danny Wallace:
The Day the Screens Went Blank
Hamish and the Worldstoppers
Hamish and the Neverpeople
Hamish and the Gravity Burp
Hamish and the Baby Boom
Hamish and the Terrible Terrible Christmas and Other Stories
Hamish and the Monster Patrol
Praise for The Day the Screens Went Blank:
'So funny' Noel Fielding
'Brilliantly funny' Shappi Khorsandi
'Hilarious' Tim Minchin
'Warm and funny' Frank Cottrell-Boyce
A hilarious middle-grade road-trip adventure from bestselling author, comedian, and presenter Danny Wallace, with illustrations throughout from Gemma Correll. Perfect for fans of Liz Pichon and David Baddiel!
When ten-year-old Stella wakes up to discover a world full of BLANK screens, her family, town, and in fact the whole world seems to have been thrown into chaos. And what about poor Grandma who is stranded at the other end of the country?
Cue a rollicking madcap road trip, full of driving disasters and family fallouts, as they set off on a rescue mission. And along the way Stella and her family discover that being away from screens might not be the Worst Thing Ever, and even though they might not be able to rely on technology anymore, they can rely on each other instead.
Also by Danny Wallace:
Hamish and WorldStoppers
Hamish and the Neverpeople
Hamish and the Gravity Burp
Hamish and the Baby Boom
Hamish and the Monster Patrol
Hamish and the Terrible Terrible Christmas
'HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!' Frank Cottrell Boyce
'Hilarious' Tim Minchin
'Danny Wallace and Jamie Littler's books contain all the wit and warmth of Dahl and Blake at their best. Irresistible.' Phil Earle
'Like David Walliams, Danny Wallace is a comedian turned children's author. Of the two, Wallace's writing is funnier' The Sunday Times, Children's Book of the Week
Get ready for another hilarious adventure from bestselling author Danny Wallace brought to life with illustrations from Jamie Littler, perfect for fans of David Walliams, Roald Dahl, David Baddiel and David Solomons!
Things are afoot in Starkley... again! Out in the ocean something's on the move ... something BIG ... something that might change everything ...
While most of Starkley's inhabitants have fled or gone into lockdown, Hamish and his pals in the PDF are coming up with a plan, because if they don't save the world then who will?!
But this time they're not alone. Luckily, the top-secret Monster Patrol is on hand to help … even if that 'help' is in the form of a strange new kid, a bizarre-looking fish monster and a bonkers old lady…
'HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!' Frank Cottrell Boyce
'Hilarious' Tim Minchin
'Danny Wallace and Jamie Littler's books contain all the wit and warmth of Dahl and Blake at their best. Irresistible.' Phil Earle
'Like David Walliams, Danny Wallace is a comedian turned children's author. Of the two, Wallace's writing is funnier' The Sunday Times, Children's Book of the Week
Get ready for another hilarious adventure from bestselling author Danny Wallace brought to life with illustrations from Jamie Littler, perfect for fans of David Walliams, Roald Dahl, David Baddiel and David Solomons!
Beware the Babies ... they CRY ... they POO ... they ATTACK!
Hamish and the PDF have been left in charge of Starkley while his dad and the rest of the Belasko agents are off hunting down the universe's second-most dangerous villain - Axel Scarmarsh!
But nothing bad will happen while he's gone, right? WRONG!
Suddenly the babies of Starkley are on the rampage and causing chaos - but only Hamish and his friends seem to be worried about the odd behaviour.
What's behind the baby uprising and can the mini mutiny be stopped before EVERY BABY ON EARTH rises up?!
'HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!' Frank Cottrell Boyce
'Hilarious' Tim Minchin
'Danny Wallace and Jamie Littler's books contain all the wit and warmth of Dahl and Blake at their best. Irresistible.' Phil Earle
'Like David Walliams, Danny Wallace is a comedian turned children's author. Of the two, Wallace's writing is funnier' The Sunday Times, Children's Book of the Week
Another hilarious adventure from bestselling author Danny Wallace brought to life with illustrations from Jamie Littler, perfect for fans of David Walliams, Roald Dahl, David Baddiel and David Solomons!
This may look like just a completely and utterly ordinary book. But it's not. This book knows something terrifying: that the people of Earth face their gravest, grimmest threat yet!
When Hamish finds his mum and his brother floating ON THE CEILING, he knows there's something seriously wrong (again) in the town of Starkley. What is the strange burping noise he keeps hearing? Why are weird seeds suddenly falling from the sky? And should he be worried about the odd woman with a cone around her neck?
All Hamish and his gang the PDF can be sure of is that an adventure is coming. And that means two things:You have to be preparedYou have to prepare a sandwich
'HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!' Frank Cottrell Boyce
'Hilarious' Tim Minchin
'Danny Wallace and Jamie Littler's books contain all the wit and warmth of Dahl and Blake at their best. Irresistible.' Phil Earle
'Like David Walliams, Danny Wallace is a comedian turned children's author. Of the two, Wallace's writing is funnier' The Sunday Times, Children's Book of the Week
A hilarious adventure from presenter and bestselling author Danny Wallace brought to life with illustrations from Jamie Littler, perfect for fans of David Walliams, Roald Dahl, David Baddiel and David Solomons!
Nobody knows it yet, but the people of Earth are in big, big trouble.
Like - HUGE trouble. Oh, come on, where's your imagination? Double what you're thinking!
It involves a shadowy figure, an enormous tower, some sinister monsters, an army of huge clanking and thundering metal oddballs, and people who are just like you… but not like you at all.
So now you have a decision to make: read this book and discover a secret that will change your life FOREVER or run away screaming while you can...
Random House presents the audiobook edition of F*** You Very Much, written and read by Danny Wallace.
You're not imagining it. People are getting ruder. And this is a serious problem.
The book that inspired the iTunes Top Ten podcast
Did you know that even one rude comment in a life and death situation can decrease a surgeon's performance by as much as 50%? That we say we don't want rude politicians, but we vote for them anyway? Or that rude language can sway a jury in a criminal case?
Bestselling writer and broadcaster Danny Wallace (Yes Man, Awkward Situations For Men), is on a mission to understand where we have gone wrong. He travels the world interviewing neuroscientists, psychologists, NASA scientists, barristers, bin men, and bellboys. He joins a Radical Honesty group in Germany, talks to drivers about road rage in LA, and confronts his own online troll in a pub.
And in doing so, he uncovers the latest thinking about how we behave, how rudeness, once unleashed, can spread like a virus - and how even one flippant remark can snowball into disaster.
As insightful and enthralling as it is highly entertaining, F*** You Very Much* is an eye-opening exploration into the worst side of human behaviour.
*This book was originally published under the title, I Can't Believe You Just Said That. But we decided it just wasn't rude enough...
'A cry for human decency... deliciously hilarious. I politely encourage you to read this book. Immediately.' Adam Grant author of Originals, Give and Take, Option B
From the bestselling author of Yes Man, a hilarious and pitch-perfect look at the rudeness that's all around us -- where it comes from, how it affects us, and what we can do about it
"An astute, easily digestible guide to not being a jerk." --Kirkus
You're not just imagining it: People are getting more and more rude - from cutting in line, gabbing on their phones and clipping their nails on public transportation, to hurling epithets on Twitter and in real life (including a certain President who does both). And the worst part is that it's contagious, leading reasonably courteous people to stoop to new lows in order to respond to the ever-coarsening encounters we face every day.
In this engaging and illuminating new book, bestselling author and all-around curious guy Danny Wallace looks at the reasons behind the rudeness, and what we can do to stop it. His quest to stop the madness includes interviews with neuroscientists, psychologists, NASA scientists, politicians, and other experts. He joins a Radical Honesty group, talks to LA drivers about road rage, and confronts his own online troll in a pub--all to better understand the scourge that's turning normal people into bullies, tantruming toddlers, trolls, and other types of everyday monsters.
Want to be part of the solution? Let Danny Wallace be your smart and funny guide.
We join the action just as our 'hero' Tom, (early thirties, reads the 'news' on the radio) finds out that his girlfriend has NOT left him.
Tom,
I have not left you. But I am gone.
Please carry on as normal.
Love always,
Hayley
Has Hayley gone or hasn't she? Is she coming back? If she has gone, but is coming back, when is she coming back? And what is he supposed to bloody do in the meantime?
And what if she's never coming back??
Trying to work out what's happening to his confusing life, Tom tries to track Hayley down. In doing so, he stumbles across a strange and eccentric group of people with an irregular and highly-addictive hobby.
Next, he's being followed, but he's not sure by whom. And then he also almost loses his job at the radio station in the now infamous 'Jam Nazi' episode, which of course, you know about.
Above all, Tom is trying to work out who everyone is.
Because who is Hayley? Who is this new girl following him around the supermarket?
And who, for that matter, is TOM DITTO?
It all starts with a girl... (because yes, there's always a girl...)
Jason Priestley (not that one) has just seen her. They shared an incredible, brief, fleeting moment of deep possibility, somewhere halfway down Charlotte Street.
And then, just like that, she was gone - accidentally leaving him holding her old-fashioned, disposable camera, chock full of undeveloped photos...
And now Jason - ex-teacher, ex-boyfriend, part-time writer and reluctant hero - faces a dilemma. Should he try and track The Girl down? What if she's The One? But that would mean using the only clues he has, which lie untouched in this tatty disposable...
It's funny how things can develop...
Mackenzie Crook is best known for playing Gareth in The Office, a role for which he earned two BAFTA nominations, and Ragetti in the Pirates of the Caribbean films. He also provided his voice and movements to a character in Steven Spielberg's The Adventures of Tintin.
Wendy Wason was a regular in several comedy series such as Tittybangbang and The IT Crowd, and she has also appeared in Midsomer Murders. As a comedian, she has also had three successful Edinburgh Festival shows.
In 2010's brilliant AWKWARD SITUATIONS FOR MEN, Danny Wallace entertained us with wonderful bite-sized stories from his often embarrassing and bewildering everyday life as a man.
Well, now it's 2011 and Danny is back - and he's even more confused than ever!
A lot has happened to Danny Wallace in the past year. He has had a baby and has been hobnobbing with the powers that be in Hollywood. But that hasn't made him any less awkward.
Being more of a grown up brings its own baffling etiquette and expected social graces, and no-one has told Danny.
Join Danny once again on his very funny stumble through more Awkward Situations. It's not easy being a man!
