All The Things That Could Go Wrong

By Author / Illustrator

Stewart Foster

Genre

Adventure

Age range(s)

Publisher

Simon & Schuster Ltd

ISBN

9781471145421

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

29-06-2017

Synopsis

'A moving, humane, funny portrait of two very different boys discovering what connects us all' Kiran Milwood Hargrave, author of The Girl of Ink and Stars
'It's amazing! Such a bold idea to have a character like Dan... you pulled it off brilliantly.' Ross Welford, author of Time Travelling with a Hamster
'I loved it' Lisa Thompson, author of The Goldfish Boy

There are two sides to every story

Dan is angry. Nothing has been the same since his big brother left, and he's taking it out on the
nearest and weakest target: Alex.

Alex is struggling. His severe OCD makes it hard for him to leave the house, especially when Dan
and his gang are waiting for him at school . . .

Then the boys' mums arrange for them to meet up and finish building the raft that Dan started with his brother. Two enemies stuck together for the whole of the school holidays - what could possibly go wrong?

Praise for ALL THE THINGS THAT COULD GO WRONG
'A touching, funny, gripping read that tackles important issues in a sensitive and thoroughly enjoyable way. Highly recommended' Stuart Robinson, author of If Ever I Fall
'A timely story of courage and reminder of what we all share' Christopher Edge, author of The Many Worlds of Albie Bright
'Powerful and warm ... this will linger long in the mind' Guardian
'Moving, beautifully written and intensely emotional' Lancashire Evening Post
'When they say \"not to be missed\", this is the kind of book they mean' MinervaReads

Praise for THE BUBBLE BOY:
'Poignant, hopeful and heartbreaking' Fiona Noble - Children's Editor, The Bookseller
'Deeply moving and utterly gripping . . . Stewart Foster carries off an astonishing feat of storytelling in this exceptional book' Julia Eccleshare, lovereading.co.uk
'A gripping and deeply moving book' Jamila Gavin, author of Coram Boy
'One thing we know about good books is their amazing ability to inspire empathy in the reader; to explore ideas and viewpoints that arise from experiences that are out of our own realm. The Bubble Boy does this with warmth, quirkiness and a light-hearted touch.' Guardian

Reviews

Stewart Foster's follow-up to his poignant children's debut, The Bubble Boy is another powerful and emotional read. It focuses on bullying, friendship and family and cleverly uses a dual narrative to give the perspective of the bully and the victim. Alex has OCD and spends his life endlessly compiling lists of his worries. He is an easy target for school bully Dan and his cohorts but a meeting between their Mums sees them thrown together building a raft over the long summer holidays. Dan is angry about his brother being in juvenile detention and whilst he lashes out at his parents and Alex, an awkward alliance starts to build between the boys and Dan soon finds himself torn between helping Alex and not wanting to alienate his friends. This is sometimes a difficult read but the dual narrative allows the reader to understand the perspective of both boys and empathise with their respective positions. The relationship between the Dan and Alex feels realistic and the short chapters mean that the story retains a good pace. I liked the fact that there was no neat, over-sentimental ending, but more of a growing understanding between the boys. This book would make a fantastic addition to any school library. 311 pages / Ages 9+ / Reviewed by Clare Wilkins