By Annabel Pitcher (author)
"In a nutshell: beautifully written story of life, love and growing up"
Paperback In Stock £7.99 £7.19
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December 2017 Book of the Month
Full of love, humour and heartbreak, this beautifully crafted YA novella from the multi award-winning author of Ketchup Clouds and My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece is a compassionate and distinctive tale of modern family life and its issues.
Archie is devastated at the news his parents are splitting up. He and his dad are very close and when he realises that his father is leaving for another man – something his two sisters have already worked out – the shock has a physical impact. Archie has already been the victim of bullying and, perhaps to avoid a repeat, has become friends with the bullies at his new school; he is terrified of their reaction to the news.
Things are complicated further when Tia, the girl he fancies, confides in him about her brother’s suicide and as the pressure mounts, Archie himself contemplates taking his own life. Annabel Pitcher portrays Archie with real insight and readers will understand completely the agony he feels. She chooses to end the story in a supermarket where the aisles, through their very prosaic normality, open up a world of hope and new beginnings.
Published by dyslexia specialists Barrington Stoke, this will be accessible to all readers and is worth recommending to all readers.
NOTE: some of the content and language may be seen by some as inappropriate for younger teens - why not read the extract first to find out.
Dads leave home all the time. It's not that unusual, really. Leon's dad walked out. So did Mo's. But Archie's? Well, that's a different story - a story that Archie must keep secret at all cost. Archie knows he should accept Dad for who he is, so he hides his turmoil until he can stand it no longer. With nowhere else to turn, he finds himself at the railway track. The track has been calling to him, promising escape, release. The only problem is, it's been calling to someone else too...
Read the full description
Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant and dyslexic readers aged 13+
Read a Q&A with Annabel Pitcher about The Last Days of Archie Maxwell and why she particularly likes writing for YA readers.
Annabel Pitcher studied English at Oxford and has since worked as a script writer and an English teacher. She lives in Yorkshire with her husband. She won a Betty Trask award for her first novel My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece .
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Dads leave home all the time. It's not that unusual, really.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed The Last Days of Archie Maxwell and determined it is suitable for children aged 13-18 years old
The Last Days of Archie Maxwell features in the following genres: Books of the Month, Recommendations, Dyslexia Friendly Books for Teens, Stories about Family and Friends, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Featured Books for Young Adults, Gritty Reads, Personal Social Health Economic (PSHE), Featured Books for 13+ readers
Paperback. £7.19, down from the £7.99 cover price. In Stock.
The Last Days of Archie Maxwell was written by Annabel Pitcher and published by Barrington Stoke Ltd
The Last Days of Archie Maxwell has 139 pages
£7.19, reduced from £7.99. In Stock.
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