Joe All Alone

Description

13 year old Joe's life takes a turn for the unusual when his mother tells him she's going on holiday to Spain with her horrible boyfriend. Joe is home alone and despite his mother's strict orders he has a blast! Eating pizza for breakfast, having Xbox marathons and he even finds a girlfriend. But things start to go awry as he loses contact with his mother, starts running out of money and local thugs figure out he may be alone.

Promotion info

*LBKids Club *Newsletter to LBKids subscribers *3rd party promotions *Nationwide publicity and review coverage

Reviews

Poignant, funny, and utterly unputdownable, Joe All Alone paints a picture of child poverty, neglect and abuse that is somehow life-affirming and heart-warming - even while it will break your heart. The brightly coloured cast of characters, from Otis the Jamaican bus-driver to Asha the girl with a big imagination and heart to match, contrast with the grim, grey reality of life for a thirteen year old kid trying to survive on a tough inner city estate. But it is Joe himself - brave, clever, resilient but also vulnerable and broken - who readers will fall in love with. There is a beautiful simplicity and lyricism to this book which make it incredibly moving and I absolutely loved it! Perfect for fans of Phil Earle or 'Fifteen Days Without a Head'. -- Catherine Bruton, author of I Predict A Riot and We Can Be Heroes. A real boy's voice, nailed hard to a tale rich with wrong decisions, hopeless plans and stabs at redemption. I loved it. -- Steve Cole Frightening and funny, bleak and tender, serious and surprising, Joe All Alone is a gem of a book that catches the heart and lifts the spirits (just like a flock of parakeets in Peckham!). -- Tanya Landman

Author description

Joanna Nadin is currently shortlisted for the Booktrust Best Book Awards 2014, is a winner of the Lancashire Fantastic Book Award, the Surrey Book Award, Blue Peter 'Book of the Month' and Radio 4 Open Book 'Book of the Year'. She has been shortlisted for the Queen of Teen award three times, and Spies, Dad, Big Lauren and Me was selected for the Richard and Judy Book Club. In 2011, Penny Dreadful is a Magnet for Disaster was shortlisted for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize. Nadin previously worked as a policy writer for the Labour Party. In 2001, she became a special adviser to Tony Blair. She continues to freelance as a speechwriter and editor.