When Beth wakes up one morning covered in dirt, she puts it down to an extreme case of sleep-walking. But when reports of a desecrated grave start to circulate, her night-time wanderings take on a sinister air. Soon the city is being plagued by strange sightings and sudden disappearances. Beth knows[...]
From acclaimed and controversial author, Melvin Burgess, a terrifying new Hammer Horror novella about a teenager and her relationship with a ghoul. When Beth wakes up one morning covered in dirt, she puts it down to an extreme case of sleep-walking. But when reports of a desecrated grave start to ci[...]
Winner of both the Carnegie Medal and the Guardian Children's Fiction prize, Melvin Burgess' controversial young adult novel "Junk" redefined teenage fiction with its frank and honest portrayal of teenagers addicted to heroin in Bristol. Junk = heroin = bliss = despair = a love affair you'll never f[...]
Dino really fancies fit, sexy Jackie, but she just won't give him what he wants...Jonathan likes Deborah, but she's a bit fat - what will his mates say? Ben's been secretly shagging his teacher for ages. He used to love it, but what if he wants to stop? Three lads discovering sex for the first time;[...]
This is an uncompromising, compelling and true-to-life story of two teenagers drawn into the dangerous and destructive world of heroin addiction. This tour de force by an acclaimed and provocative writer should become a definitive teenage novel on this subject.[...]
Melvin Burgess, author of the award-winning young adult novel "Junk", explores the sinister side of fame, obsession and the cult of celebrity in the psychological thriller "Sara's Face". Sara Carter wants to be famous. Fame is her obsession. So when legendary rock star Jonathon Heat offers her star [...]
Everyone says fourteen-year-old Billie is nothing but trouble. A fighter. A danger to her family and friends. But her care worker sees someone different. Her classmate Rob is big, strong; he can take care of himself and his brother. But his violent stepdad sees someone to humiliate. And Chris is str[...]
Buck is forced into life as a sled dog, where he must fight for his survival. Can he rise above his enemies and become master of his realm?[...]
The award-winning author Melvin Burgess's ribald and insightful account of contemporary teenage life chronicles the ups and downs of doing it. The controversial book on which the cult favorite ABC television series "Life As We Know It "(now available on DVD) was based, "Doing It "introduces us to Di[...]
When fourteen-year-old Nicholas Dane's mother dies, social services sends him to a home for boys where intimidation and violence keep order. After a number of fights and brutal punishments, Nick thinks that life can't possibly get any worse . . . until he realizes that the home's respected deputy he[...]
I can give it up any time I want . . .
Sometimes maybe you need an experience. The experience can be a person or it can be a drug. The experience opens a door that was there all the time but you never saw it. Or maybe it blasts you into outer space. This time it was Lily and Rob and Gemma spendin[...]
Tar loves Gemma, but Gemma doesn't want to be tied down - not to anyone or anything. Gemma wants to fly. But no one can fly forever. One day, somehow, finally you have to come down. Commissioned and produced by Oxford Stage Company, Junk premiered at The Castle, Wellingborough, in January 1998 and w[...]
Billy Elliot's not like his Dad. He doesn't want to learn boxing or be a miner. Instead, he is fascinated by the grace and magic of ballet and is determined to dance. Set at the time of the miner's strike, the story traces Billy's fight against the prejudice of a northern community and family.[...]
Melvin Burgess has made a powerful name for himself in the world of children's and young adult literature, emerging in the 1990s as the author of over twenty critically acclaimed novels. This collection of original essays by a team of established and new scholars introduces readers to the key debate[...]
Contemporary / British English
Eleven-year old Billy Elliot is different from other boys. He is not very clever or good at sport. Then, one day, he discovers ballet dancing. Finally he has found something that he can do well. But everybody knows that ballet is for girls, not boys! Will Billy cont[...]
Fame, beauty, and face transplants
Sara wants to be famous, and when legendary rock star Jonathon Heat offers to take her under his wing and pay for her cosmetic surgery, it's like a dream come true. But beauty comes with a hidden price tag. Is Sara willing to pay?[...]
Contemporary / British English
Eleven-year old Billy Elliot is different from other boys. He is not very clever or good at sport. Then, one day, he discovers ballet dancing. Finally he has found something that he can do well. But everybody knows that ballet is for girls, not boys! Will Bi[...]
A haunting, powerful drama from Carnegie Medalist Melvin Burgess. A girl in a coma. A desperate mother. Marianne has been absent from her own life for so long that even her mother's unwavering faith is starting to tremble. But Marianne, floating in her own world, is starting to remember who she is [...]
1914: war has broken out across Europe and beyond. Nothing will ever be the same again for those caught up in the conflict. This book offers a collection of short stories that explores how the First World War changed and shaped the lives of women forever.[...]
This is the love story of two runaway teenagers, Gemma and Tar, and their struggles with heroin addiction. Melvin Burgess' most ambitious and complex novel is a multi-faceted and vivid depiction of a group of young people in the grip of addiction. It is told in many different voices, from the addict[...]
Dino's girlfriend won't give him what he wants. Jonathon is afraid of what his mates will think of the girl he likes. And Ben is having extra lessons from his sexy teacher. Three seventeen-year-old boys discover sex for the first time: but do they really know what they're doing?[...]
Sarah is going to have a face transplant. She has allowed herself to be drawn into the orbit of a ruthless pop-star. He is going to take her discarded face to cover his own scarred and damaged one. But, as the time of the operation approaches, those closest to her suspect that Sarah is changing her [...]
When Nick's mother dies suddenly, the 14 year old is sent straight into a boys' home, where he finds institutional intimidation and violence keep order. Nick thinks life can't get any worse - but the professionally respected deputy head, Mr Creal, who has been grooming him with sweets and solace, ha[...]
Will Mikey escape unscathed from Mrs Crabs' council house torture chamber? A modern-day gangster story for the older reader. Barrington Stoke specialise in books for reluctant, struggling and dyslexic[...]
'Are you frightened of dying, Issy'? Issy doesn't know where she came from or who she is. Night after night, she has the same nightmare: she burns in a fire and at the heart of the flames is a face she dare not look at. Fear and superstition are everywhere. She must run - from the Witch-finder, from[...]