Melvin Burgess
Melvin was born in Sussex in 1954. He is the author of a number of highly successful books for teenagers and young adults including, Junk, Doing It, Lady, My Life as a Bitch, Bloodsong, Bloodtide, Sara's Face and The Cry of the Wolf (shortlisted for the Carnegie medal). He also wrote Kill All Enemies.
He lives in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, with his partner Anita.
Books
Bloodtide
Author: Melvin Burgess
Publisher: Andersen Press
Interest age: 14+
Reading age: 13+
This shocking and brutal novel is not for the faint-hearted, with its chilling portrayal of a bleak future, but Burgess's storytelling prowess is undeniable.
Burning Issy
Author: Melvin Burgess
Publisher: Anderson Press
Interest age: 12+
Reading age: 12+
Issy’s voice lies at the heart of this gripping, often gruelling novel based on the Pendle witchcraft trials
Count
Author: Melvin Burgess Illustrator: Chris Mould
Publisher: Andersen Press
Interest age: 8-9
Reading age: 9-11
Brandon boasts about everything and claims that he can count to ten million, even though it will take him almost a year. As he begins, the numbers take on a life of their own, emitting a shimmery light as they wait in line to be counted. The higher Brandon counts, the more his life is on public view, and he becomes part of a media frenzy.
This light-hearted,…
Doing It
Author: Melvin Burgess
Publisher: Andersen Press
Interest age: 14+
Reading age: 14+
A much heralded, compelling sex story for teenage boys from this provocative writer
Junk
Author: Melvin Burgess
Publisher: Andersen Press
Interest age: 14+
Reading age: 14+
Tar loves Gemma, but Gemma doesn't want to be tied down to anyone or anything. Gemma wants to fly - but she can't fly forever...
Kill All Enemies
Author: Melvin Burgess
Publisher: Penguin
Interest age: 13+
Reading age: 10+
There are always two sides to every story – who is making the rules, the young people or the adults?
Persist
Author: Melvin Burgess
Publisher: Barrington Stoke
Interest age: 14+
Reading age: 14+
Melvin Burgess allows us to experience the highs and lows of a family who are going through a very difficult time in their lives.
The Baby and Fly Pie
Author: Melvin Burgess
Publisher: Andersen Press
Interest age: 11-12
Reading age: 9+
Fly Pie and Sham are rubbish pickers, who go to the tip every day to pick rubbish for Mother Shelly. Then one day they come across a dying man and a baby.
The Cry of the Wolf
Author: Melvin Burgess
Publisher: Andersen Press
Interest age: 11+
Reading age: 11+
The Hunter is a cold, cruel man who lives only to kill rare animals and collect their skins. When the Hunter discovers that a pack of English wolves, long thought to be extinct, live in the Surrey countryside, he resolves to kill them all at any cost.
The Hit
Author: Melvin Burgess
Publisher: Chicken House
Interest age: 14+
Reading age: 14+
Melvin Burgess has gained a reputation for dealing with shocking and controversial issues in books like Junk, and The Hit is no exception.