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The Beck

by Anthony McGowan

Interest age: 9 to 11
Reading age: 12+

Published by Barrington Stoke

  • Funny

About this book

When Kyle is forced to spend the day with his eccentric grandad, it’s fair to say it begins unexpectedly (involving a wig, half a sausage roll, and a three-legged dog called Rude Word). But when he is shown the beck at the end of the garden, Kyle becomes enthralled by the nature he finds in the small waterway.  

The pair bond over an ecological mission to protect their beck from developers, a mission which Kyle must complete alone once his grandad falls seriously ill. Along the way, he grows in confidence, navigates friendships, and resolves underlying familial tensions.   

This powerful story from Carnegie-winning Anthony McGowan connects you with its characters immediately. The dynamic between Kyle and his sharp-tongued, restless grandad is a driving force and is outrageously funny – the wig’s funeral will have you in stitches!   

Along with its humour, it should be noted that this book sensitively covers some serious topics, including a scene in which Kyle finds his grandad after he has suffered a stroke. There are also descriptions of bullying and one or two instances of light swearing. 

Barrington Stoke’s dyslexia-friendly formatting and the book’s shorter length make it well suited to secondary school students with a younger reading age.

About the author

Anthony McGowan was born in Manchester in 1965. He went to school in Leeds. He has an M.Phil in philosophy and a PhD on the history of the concept of beauty. He has worked as a nightclub bouncer, civil servant, and Open University tutor in philosophy. He now lives in London. He is married to the fashion designer and novelist Rebecca Campbell. They have two children.

His debut thriller, Stag Hunt, was published in 2005 and a sequel, Mortal Coil, came out in 2005. In the same year, Random House published Hellbent, his first novel for teenagers, and a second young-adult book, Henry Tumour, was published in 2006. Henry Tumour won the Book Trust Teenage prize, the 2007 Catalyst Award, and has been shortlisted for several major awards.

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