Winner of the Costa Children's Book Award 2016.
Set in a bleak world and reminiscent of Orwell’s 1984, The Bombs That Brought Us Together is nonetheless a funny, tender, surprising and uplifting novel.
Charlie’s life should be pretty miserable: he lives in Little Town, where everyone spies on everyone else, and the population is caught between their oppressive rulers and violent criminals who run the black market. A bombing campaign and invasion by their neighbours in the Old Country makes things even worse. Somehow though Charlie remains positive. He makes friends with Pav, a refugee from the Old Country, and together they turn an old shed into a homely refuge until circumstances leave Charlie owing favours to the terrifying Big Man, and facing an awful choice. Decent, determined and brighter than he makes out, Charlie finds a solution. Charlie’s voice and outlook keep the tone light despite the darkness of setting and subject matter.
Hugely entertaining and highly original.
Sally Gardner’s Maggot Moon and Meg Rosoff’s How I Live Now are more examples of brilliant, thought-provoking dystopian fiction, while After Tomorrow by Gillian Cross offers similar insight into the refugee experience.
Costa judges' comment: “Reflecting the disorder that conflict brings, Bombs shines a light in the darkest corners, finding humour in the most extraordinary circumstances.”
Fourteen-year-old Charlie Law has lived in Little Town, on the border with Old Country, all his life. He knows the rules:
| Reading age: | 12+ |
| Primary Genre | Young Adult Fiction |
| Recommendations: |
Fourteen-year-old Charlie Law has lived in Little Town, on the border with Old Country, all his life. He knows the rules: no going out after dark; no drinking; no litter; no fighting.
The Bombs That Brought Us Together is aimed at readers aged 12 and over.
The Bombs That Brought Us Together features in the following genres: Young Adult Fiction, eBooks of the Month, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Recommendations
Paperback, Hardback. Not Available.
The Bombs That Brought Us Together was written by Brian Conaghan and published by Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
The Bombs That Brought Us Together has 360 pages
