For age 16+. "innovative and insightful... couldn’t wait to devour part two" - Times Educational Supplement "I was utterly flabbergasted... one of the most compelling novels I've ever read" - Heffers Review, Cambridge "Brilliant writing, brilliant structure, brilliant book" - Des Dillon, author of Me and Ma Gal "definitely up there with the modern classics" - What? Magazine" A Must-Read for Teens and Adults: The Boy Who Made It Rain is an innovative novel that will keep you glued to the st...

YA rising stars Sarah Crossan and Brian Conaghan join forces to break readers' hearts in this contemporary story of star-cross'd lovers.Jess would never have looked twice at Nicu if her friends hadn't left her in the lurch. Nicu is all big eyes and ill-fitting clothes, eager as a puppy, even when they're picking up litter in the park for community service. He's so not her type. Appearances matter to Jess. She's got a lot to hide.Nicu thinks Jess is beautiful. His dad brough...

Moya. The M Word. Whisper it. Conceal it. But, please, never mention it …Maggie Yates tells her best mate Moya everything.She tells her about Mum losing her job – how Mum's taken to crying in secret. She even tells her about her foolproof plan to cheer Mum up: find her a fella with cash to splash.Moya's with her every step of the way. I'll help, she smiles. Though you're surfing a rainbow if you think someone like that exists round her...

From the acclaimed author of When Mr. Dog Bites and The Bombs That Brought Us Together comes a compelling, thought-provoking, heartbreaking, and timely story that asks: how far would you go for family?As the person who cares for his terminally-ill mother, Bobby Seed has a lot on his plate. Add to that a responsibility to watch over his little brother (with his endless question about why their mother is in so much pain), keeping up at school, and n...

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. You don't want to get on the wrong side of the people who run Little Town. When he meets Pavel Duda, a refugee from Old Country, the rules start to get broken. Then the bombs come, and the soldiers from Old Country, and Little Town changes forever.Sometimes, to keep the people you love safe, you have ...

All Dylan Mint has ever wanted is to keep his Tourette's in check and live life as a “normal” teenager. The swearing, the tics, the howling “dog” that escapes when things are at their worst-nothing about Tourette's makes it easy to meet cute girls or have normal friends (or many friends at all). But a routine hospital visit changes everything-Dylan overhears that he's going to die. In an attempt to claim the life he's always wanted, he decides to grant himself parting wishes, or “Cool Thin...

A poetic, gifty offering that combines first love, friendship, and persistant courage in this lyrical immigration story told in verse. Award-winning authors Brian Conaghan and Sarah Crossan tell a thought-provoking dual-narrated tale about two troubled teens, one immigrating to a new home and the other facing domestic violence, whose paths cross in the unlikeliest of places.Nicu has emigrated from Romania and is struggling to find his place in his ...

Longlisted for the 2025 Carnegie Medal for WritingWinner of the Children's Books Ireland AwardsCon O’Neill is stuck in a world of brutal gang violence, sectarian vendettas and personal tragedy. The lack of opportunities for him and the rest of his gang is all too apparent. No money. No prospects. A social design that entraps inhabitants of Treacle Towns up and down the country.Connor is desperate to get away, to find another life where he can experience happiness and...

Bloomsbury presents When Mr Dog Bites by Brian Conaghan, read by Julian ElferAll Dylan Mint has ever wanted is to keep his Tourette’s in check and live life as a "normal" teenager. The swearing, the tics, the howling “dog” that escapes when things are at their worst--nothing about Tourette’s makes it easy to meet cute girls or have normal friends (or many friends at all). But a routine hospital visit changes everything--Dylan overhears that he's going to die. In an attempt...

Bloomsbury presents The Bombs That Brought Us Together by Brian Conaghan, read by Thomas JuddFourteen-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. You don't want to get on the wrong side of the people who run Little Town. When he meets Pavel Duda, a refugee from Old Country, the rules start to get broken. Then the bombs come, and the soldiers fr...

Bloomsbury presents The M Word by Brian Conaghan, read by Caroline Guthrie.Moya. The M Word. Whisper it. Conceal it. But, please, never mention it …Maggie Yates tells her best mate Moya everything.She tells her about Mum losing her job – how Mum’s taken to crying in secret. She even tells her about her foolproof plan to cheer Mum up: find her a fella with cash to splash.Moya’s with her every step of the way. I’ll help, she smiles. Though you're surfing a rai...

Winner of the Waterstone's Children's Book Prize 2013, KETCHUP CLOUDS tells the story of one teenage girl with a very big secret.Fifteen-year-old Zoe has a secret - a dark and terrible secret that she can't confess to anyone she knows. But then one day she hears of a criminal, Stuart Harris, locked up on death row in Texas. Like Zoe, Stuart is no stranger to secrets. Or lies. Or murder.Full of both heartache and humour, Zoe tells her story in the only way s...