LoveReading4Kids Says
LoveReading4Kids Says
Heart wrenching, honest, funny and bold, this exceptional novel about the life, loves and agonies of a young carer, and the love between a mum and her sons, is a storytelling triumph.
Seventeen-year-old Bobby Seed is a devoted son and big brother and an all-round firework of wit and charm, wise and strong beyond his years. He’s also a young carer to his mum who’s suffering from debilitating MS. Bobby has to “brush his mother’s locks every day, sort out her medicine, sponge her clean three times a week, ooze positivity” even when all he wants to do is “punch the shit out of a walk or wail in the shower”. In his situation “the worry of death never leaves you”, but that doesn’t stop the brilliant banter between Bobby and his mum. Theirs is a beautiful, tender relationship. Bobby does what he does for her “because she’s my Mum. That pure and simple”.
Bobby’s spirits are kept up by best friend Bel and attending Poztive support group for young carers. It’s there he falls for Vespa-riding Lou, who helps him fulfill his mum’s unexpected birthday request as her deterioration quickens. But then comes the ultimate request. Can he do what Mum needs to alleviate her excruciating pain and loss of function?
Always warm and witty, and never sentimental, this raw portrait of real-life ravages is suffused in the magic of the human heart. Bobby is an unforgettable, inspirational character – we could all do with taking a leaf from Bobby’s book of strength and wit - and author Brian Conaghan is a writer of the highest rank.
Joanne Owen
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About
The Weight of a Thousand Feathers Synopsis
Angry, stirring and tender, this is a bold, questioning exploration of the lengths to which we'll go for the people we love. From the Costa Children's Book Award winning author of When Mr Dog Bites and The Bombs That Brought Us Together. Bobby Seed has questions. What's another word for `thesaurus'? How can I tell Bel I want her as my girl friend, not my girlfriend? How much pain is Mum in today? Has she taken her pills? And sometimes, secretly, Why us? Bobby's little brother Danny has questions too. Will Bobby let him have Rice Krispies for dinner? And can he stay up late on the computer? And why won't Mum's stupid illness just GO AWAY? But it's Mum's question for Bobby that could turn everything on its head. It's the Big One. The Unthinkable One. If Bobby agrees, he won't just be soothing her pain. He'll be helping to end it. Would he? Could he?
Perfect for readers of Patrick Ness and Malorie Blackman.
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9781408871539 |
| Publication date: |
14th June 2018 |
| Author: |
Brian Conaghan |
| Publisher: |
Bloomsbury YA an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing PLC |
| Format: |
Hardback |
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Press Reviews
Brian Conaghan Press Reviews
Conaghan shines a light on the world of teen carers and poses powerful moral questions about the lengths we are prepared to go to for the ones we love. – The Bookseller
A luminous meditation on the nature of love and life and death.– The Bookbag
Praise for When Mr Dog Bites:
Beautifully observed and hilariously uncomfortable Guardian
This is a portrayal of young male bonding, complete with all the lively banter of true camaraderies, at its most tender and affectionate Irish Times
An outstanding debut, packed with energy and a brilliant distinctive voice Bookseller
Praise for The Bombs that brought us Together:
Laughter is inevitable Irish Times
Believable, funny, brave and vulnerable young male characters ... thought-provoking novel ... drama and tension in plenty ... irrepressible humour Joy Court, The School Librarian
Humanity and humour thread through the challenging storyline from the first page to the very last The Bookbag
Author
About Brian Conaghan
Brian Conaghan lives and works in the Scottish town of Coatbridge. He was a teacher for many years, and his novel When Mr Dog Bites was shortlisted for the 2015 Carnegie Medal. The Bombs That Brought Us Together won the 2016 Costa Children’s Book Award, The Weight of a Thousand Feathers won the 2018 Irish Book Award for Teen/YA Book of the Year, and We Come Apart, a verse novel co-authored with Carnegie Medal-winner Sarah Crossan, won the 2018 UKLA Book Award. Cardboard Cowboys, Brian’s first middle-grade novel, published in 2021 and is full of his trademark heart, humour and crackling dialogue.
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