The 10pm Question

Bursting with intriguing and forceful characters... I was bowled over by its lively inventiveness.

-- Anne Fine

Hilarious, poignant and profound coming-of-age story

There are so many delightful things in this novel, and it unfolds at a leisurely pace so we can enjoy them all. This is a beautiful, hopeful story whose handling of anxiety feels totally authentic and real. Despite the youth of its protagonist, it feels unusually adult and literary in many respects. Maybe that is because of the way it takes one character's highly specific experiences to explore concerns that are in fact universal – worrying about the traits we have inherited from our parents, seeing others who seem better able to cope than usm leaning that there are some things we cannot change and will just have to live with. It is certainly a book that adults will enjoy, but Frankie's story is also one which will powerfully resonate with readers across the full secondary age range.

-- Stephen Dilley * JustImagine Story Centre *

A life-affirming coming of age novel about a boy in a very unusual situation.

Frankie's eccentric but lovable relations and his friends are depicted with immense skill in this extremely engaging, often very funny story. In addition to his other problems, Frankie also has to cope with the usual challenges facing twelve year-olds and this is also a warm, sensitive and credible portrait of a young boy in a unique situation.

Book of the Month

-- Andrea Reece * LoveReading4Kids *

The 10pm Question is a novel which defies all age categories. It does so with a sparkling wit and an operatic cast of characters so delightful and maddening they become dear to us.