Brock

Brock by Anthony McGowan is an excellent book which starts the series of page-turning stories about brothers Nicky and Kenny. It grabs you from the first page and is unputdownable!

Although the publishers suggest a reading age of 11 years and above, the start of this book includes a quite graphic description of badger baiting which younger readers might find upsetting (as indeed they should) but I do not necessarily suggest they do not read the book, rather read it with an adult who gives them space to talk about their feelings and the dramatic content of the story.

Apart from providing an excellent narrative, a brilliant adventure and fascinating information about the natural world, the way Anthony McGowan writes about the siblings' relationship with each other and their family offers and encourages an empathic read. In particular, the author chooses to use Nicky to describe the positives of his brothers' learning disabilities rather than focusing on the negatives; he acknowledges them but in a way that gently and lovingly empowers Kenny's character.

Brock has rightly been republished by Barrington Stoke in a super-readable format which uses font and format, space and illustrations, to provide a dyslexia friendly book. The depth of description in the story belies its shorter presentation. Indeed, it achieves an exciting, impactful, and emotional roller coaster within its 109 pages. The characters are all well rounded with enough background explanations of the main family to enable investment in the outcomes of their story.

A highly recommended read for secondary school students (and that not just because of the the positive representation of the library and librarian featured in the story! Thank you Mr McGowan!)

Trigger warnings: scenes of animal cruelty and injury, use of mild contextual swearing and slurs.

109 pages / Reviewed by Ruth Cornish, school librarian

Suggested Reading Age 11+