Showing results by author "Malcolm Duffy" in All Categories

Two unlikely worlds collide as prize-winning Malcolm Duffy explores the life-changing repercussions of a single action in a game gone wrong. Sixteen-year-old Rory is a rule-breaker, a risk taker, a maverick. As a kick he comes up with a game called Dead Straight Line . The idea is simple – wherever you happen to be, you've got to get home in a dead straight line. Across the back gardens of strangers' houses, locked parks, trespassing on private property – whatever it takes. One day, Rory pressures his friend Eliot into playing, resulting in a serious accident.

15-year-old Kateryno and her family live in Kharkiv. Their lives are shattered when on February 24th 2022 the Russian army invades. Their apartment block is struck by a missile. After weeks living in their basement, Kateryno, her mother, and brother, decide to leave, joining seven million Ukrainian refugees. They come to England and meet their host family, the Hawkins. But their new beginning brings a whole new set of problems.

Two boys, one struggle. A new family, an uncovered secret. Tommy and Ryan are as different as they come. Tommy is a young offender, he’s tough and he’s cool. Ryan is a good student, well-behaved, and definitely not cool. Forced to become a family, the two discover their shared dyslexia and develop an unlikely friendship. As Ryan helps Tommy to read, a secret is revealed that will change their lives forever. Prize-winning Malcolm Duffy's third novel explores the joys and challenges of dyslexia in a story full of his hallmark heart and humour.

Fifteen-year-old Tyler's teenage angst turns to outright rebellion when his family leaves London for a new life in Yorkshire. He's angry with his parents about the upheaval and furious at losing his home. With only the dog to confide in, Tyler has no idea that a chance meeting with a skinny girl called Spider will lead him into a world he never even knew existed. Spider is sofa surfing, and Tyler finds himself spinning a tangled web of lies in his efforts to help her escape her world of fear and insecurity.

Danny's mam has a new boyfriend. Initially, all is good – Callum seems nice enough, and Danny can't deny he's got a cool set up; big house, fast car, massive TV, and Mam seems to really like him. But cracks begin to show, and they're not the sort that can be easily repaired. As Danny witnesses Mam suffer and Callum spiral out of control he goes in search of his dad. The Dad he's never met. Set in Newcastle and Edinburgh, this supremely enjoyable coming-of-age drama tackles domestic violence head on, but finds humour and hope in the most unlikely of­ places.