"Constantly in trouble at school with little encouragement at home, Lacey’s future looks bleak until she discovers a love of music in this compelling tale by bestseller Helen Rutter.
Lacey's smart tongue and quick temper are constantly getting her confined to isolation at school. But there’s a lot more to her that most people never see, and when Lacey gets sent to lunch-time music lessons to keep her out of trouble, she discovers a love and talent for the piano that opens up a whole new world for her.
Just as she’s really beginning to make progress, her music teacher has to leave, which throws Lacey back into turmoil. Will she go back to her self-destructive ways or will music offer her a way to save her from herself?
Particularly suitable for readers aged 9+ with a reading age of 8."
"Vinny needs support from his agony-aunt mum, but she’s too busy helping other people to notice in this empathetic tale about family and mental health by bestseller Helen Rutter.
Vinny’s got problems – lots of them. His family's falling apart, and his best mates have dumped him for some really annoying girls.
He should be able to turn to his mum for help – she’s an online life coach who answers other people’s problems for a living. But she’s too busy to see that Vinny is really struggling.
Unable to solve his own issues, Vinny starts replying to unanswered posts on an old blog of his mum’s. At first the solutions seem easy, and he can be as hilariously honest as any 12-year-old boy would be, but what will happen when Vinny realises he’s out of his depth?
Particularly suitable for readers aged 9+ with a reading age of 8."
"With help from his grandma, Josh finds a way to quieten his overactive ‘Brian’ in this gently humorous and empathetic tale about family and mental health by bestseller Helen Rutter.
Josh has always called his brain Brian, and Brian can sometimes be his best friend, helping Josh with tests and giving him brilliant moneymaking ideas. But he can also be Josh’s worst enemy, keeping him awake at night worrying, and telling him that his family’s problems are all Josh’s fault.
When the arguments at home get really bad, Josh is sent to live with his grandma, who lives in a weird shack in the middle of nowhere. At first Brian’s voice gets louder and louder, and Josh feels out of control. But as he helps his grandma in the garden, growing their own food, and with all the jobs that need to be done around the shack, Josh starts to realise that she understands him and Brian better than anyone."
"“Very funny, very touching, very truthful - a total delight to read.” JACQUELINE WILSON
“Amazing” NOEL FIELDING
A laugh-out-loud, against-all-odds triumph of a story: the funniest debut of 2021.
Billy Plimpton is an eleven-year-old boy with a big dream. He wants to be a stand-up comedian when he grows up: delivering pinpoint punch-lines and having audiences hang on his every hilarious word. A tough career for anyone, but surely impossible for Billy, who has a stammer. How will he find his voice, if his voice won't let him speak?
The idea for this story came from Helen Rutter's son, who has a stammer: she wanted to write the book that he would love to read, starring a child like him.
“This incredibly debut tugs at your heartstrings and makes you laugh out loud in equal measure. I guarantee you'll be cheering along in the final pages!” LISA THOMPSON
“It's Wonder with one-liners.” SCOTT EVANS, THE READER TEACHER
“As warm and wise as it is funny.” SHAPPI KHORSANDI
“A laugh out loud story, the like of which I've never read before.” KERRY GODLIMAN
“This book is a great way of showing children how to be confident and winners by having a sense of humour and making others laugh.” BARONESS FLOELLA BENJAMIN
“This book is brilliant. It is funny, wise, kind and exciting.” MARCUS BRIGSTOCKE
“So funny and joyful.” RACHEL PARRIS"
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