LoveReading4Kids Says
LoveReading4Kids Says
Reading Age 8 Interest Age 11+
Vivid, punchy and infused with empathy, Keith Gray’s The Den does a whole lot at once, for a huge range of readers — from demanding, dedicated book-lovers, to those who struggle to get into fiction.
On one level, The Den is a fabulously pacey adventure. A story of two thirteen-year-old friends who are looking forward to the freedom of the summer holidays. At the start of the break, Marshall is in “escape-mode”. With his homelife not so great, he wants “to be as far from my house as possible”, and to “do something new and amazing and different.” Rory understands Marshall’s situation and suggests they check out Skelter Cottage, an abandoned house on the edge of the woods.
Among the ruins, the boys discover a trapdoor that leads to an underground bunker, the finding of which makes them feel like they’d “discovered the world’s most amazing secret.” Readers will feel a sense of “what next?” energy alongside the boys, and they’ll also empathise with the way the boys argue and fall out.
Alongside the sizzling suspense, The Den is also a book about how friendships and fractured families can be fixed, and deals with big emotional themes in a relatable, impactful, easy-to- digest manner.
Joanne Owen
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About
The Den Synopsis
Marshall feels the need to escape because things are so tough at home. Rory is just happy it's the first day of the summer holidays. While out on their bikes they stumble across a long-forgotten underground bunker at the edge of the woods.
This is the den, and going down inside will stretch their friendship to its limits. There will be rivalry and betrayal, but can wrecked relationships be saved before the summer has even begun?
Written by author Keith Gray, whose previous book The Climbers was longlisted for the Carnegie Medal and UKLA Award and selected as a Times Children’s Book of the Week.
A note from the author: “I baited The Den with adventure, empathy, humour and even a touch of rebellion. With any luck it will be just enough to tempt and trap those readers who so far might never have considered themselves readers. Capturing new and struggling readers is what Barrington Stoke and their books do better than anyone else.” - Keith Gray
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9781800901919 |
| Publication date: |
3rd August 2023 |
| Author: |
Keith Gray |
| Illustrator: |
Tom Clohosy Cole |
| Publisher: |
Barrington Stoke Ltd |
| Format: |
Paperback |
| Pagination: |
113 pages |
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Press Reviews
Keith Gray Press Reviews
'A thrilling, deeply moving and tense story, that grips by the throat and refuses to let go. Keith Gray has captured the joy, vulnerability and rawness of being a teenager ... Each line is written with searing and piercing clarity ... It is a book that stays in your mind and heart long after you close the final page.' - Varsha Shah
'One page from Keith and I'm fifteen again, remembering the tensions, the friendships, the endless summer holidays. He's a masterful storyteller: one of the finest we have and that's why I savour every word he writes.' - Phil Earle
'Yet again Keith Gray reminds us what a great storyteller he is. A pacy, exciting tale that will have you greedily turning each page.' - Brian Conaghan
'Quietly powerful and deceptively simple, The Den is a gripping story from a master of teenage voice. Keith Gray writes about the rawness of friendship and family life with real wit and heart.' - Lesley Parr
Author
About Keith Gray
Keith Gray’s debut novel Creepers was published when he was only 24 and was shortlisted for the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize. His subsequent books include Ostrich Boys, which was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal as well as the Costa Children’s Book Award and has been adapted for the stage; The Last Soldier, which was shortlisted for the Scottish Teen Book Awards; and The Runner, which won the Smarties Silver Medal.
Keith lives with his family in Vienna, Austria, where he co-founded the writer development community Kulturverein: Sunday Writers’ Club.
More About Keith Gray
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