book cover

Ted Rules the World

by Frank Cottrell-Boyce, illustrated by Cate James
Cover image by Chris Riddell

Interest age: 9 to 11
Reading age: 7 to 8

Published by Barrington Stoke, 2022

  • Chapter books
  • Funny
  • Dyslexia

About this book

When a new Prime Minister is elected on Ted’s birthday, strange things begin to happen. At first, Ted thinks it’s a happy coincidence that some of his ideas become government policy, such as extending weekends to include Mondays.

However, as his more obscure thoughts are adopted by the Prime Minister, for example, giving out free Premier League collector’s cards in schools, he wonders if he is genuinely influencing parliamentary decisions. If so, how is this happening, and could he use his new-found power to make the world a better place?

This light-hearted, humorous tale contains a range of specialist features designed to help dyslexic and reluctant readers, including a unique, dyslexia-friendly font and clear spacing to stop pages from becoming overcrowded.

The text is edited to a reading age of seven, while the content will appeal to older children. At just over 50 pages long, the story is divided into short chapters. This provides natural breaks for those who may find large blocks of text daunting, helping to build confidence and stamina.

The cover illustrations are by Chris Riddell, while Cate James’ internal black-and-white artwork adds interest and detail, helping children to visualise the characters.

About the author

Frank Cottrell-Boyce is a multi award-winning children’s book author and screenwriter. Millions, his debut children's novel, won the prestigious CILIP Carnegie Medal.

His other books include Cosmic, Framed, The Astounding Broccoli Boy, Sputnik’s Guide to Life on Earth, Runaway Robot, Noah’s Gold and The Wonder Brothers. He has enjoyed a long-time collaboration with award-winning illustrator Steven Lenton. His books have been shortlisted for a multitude of prizes, including the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize, the Whitbread Children’s Fiction Award, The Roald Dahl Funny Prize and the Blue Peter Book Award.

Frank is also a highly successful screenwriter. He has written for the hit TV series Dr Who and his script for Michael Morpurgo’s Kensuke’s Kingdom won a British Animation Award. Along with Danny Boyle, he devised the Opening Ceremony for the London 2012 Olympics. Frank has been the judge for the 500 Words competition and the BBC's One Show As You Write It competition.

Frank is a lifelong champion of children’s books. In 2023 he launched a successful podcast with Nadia Shireen, The Island of Brilliant!, celebrating writing and illustration for children of all ages.

He lives in Merseyside with his family.

 

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