Our boys need a new kind of hero. Rule-breakers and innovators who aren’t afraid to think outside and be themselves, whatever people think about how men should behave. Bedtime Stories for Boys Who Dare to Be Different is a collection of the lives of 200 incredible men from all over the world – from David Attenborough to Beethoven to Stormzy – who succeeded through brains, not brawn, and who will inspire young boys everywhere to follow their dreams.

**The hilarious, thought-provoking new novel from the Somerset Maugham and British Book Award-winning Ben Brooks**

‘Brooks is a frighteningly young talent.’  Tim Key    

‘I love Ben Brooks.’ Matt Haig

‘You’ll not forget the Candlewicks once you meet them! This splendid, wry satire is about a wealthy family, self-important and confident in their morality, whose blithe and bumptious existences are thrown into disarray when their father clandestinely decides to give all their money to charity, and so (in their opinions) completely destroys their lives. Droll and all-too-real.’ LitHub

‘A warmhearted tragicomedy about what it means to live a good life.’ People Magazine

‘A sharp-witted tragicomedy about money, morality, and a family teetering on the brink. A splendidly funny novel.’ Jenny Jackson, New York Times bestselling author of Pineapple Street  

“I’d like you to imagine that you’re walking to work one day and you come upon a child drowning in a pool of water. But imagine that someone refused to jump in after the child on the grounds that it would ruin his three-hundred-pound pair of John Lobb loafers. We’d consider them utterly immoral, would we not?’

Arthur Candlewick spends three days in a disused mineshaft with only his son’s drug stash, a book on the concept of ‘effective altruism’ and a bottle of medium-priced Bordeaux for company. When he emerges, he has made the life-changing decision to become a good man.
 
Deciding to sell the family timber business and give away his wealth to charity, Arthur’s family become convinced that he has lost his mind.
 
His university-bound daughter, Evangeline, wants to change the world but perhaps not at the cost of her own privileged life.
 
His son, Emil, good at maths and not much else, becomes more distant than ever.
 
And his wife, Yara, who arrives at airports four hours early and fears that AI and climate change will leave her children unemployed, just wants the doctor to run another brain scan on her husband.
 
Incisive, hilarious and unflinchingly human, The Greatest Possible Good asks fundamental questions about what it means to live a good life while introducing the world to one of the great families of contemporary literature.

‘Ben Brooks is a magical imp who pumps out dark nuggets of poetry and makes you snort with laughter.’ Noel Fielding

‘Brooks has the timing of a genius stand-up comic.’ Richard Milward
 
‘Ben Brooks is a writer who genuinely excites me.’ Colin Herd, 3:AM Magazine

A station has appeared at the back of Elliot’s wardrobe … but where will The Night Train take him?

A heart-warming exploration of love and loss and the magic of hope and family from the bestselling author of THE IMPOSSIBLE BOY. Perfect for 8+ fans of Matt Haig and Ben Miller.

‘A magical and festive adventure with an extraordinary cast of characters. It is full of empathy, friendship and fun’ South Wales Evening Post

‘A must read for all children (big and small) aged 7+ and to any who love a laugh out loud book that pushes all senses of the imagination to their limits. It is a masterpiece of creativity and empathy rolled into one big feelgood tale’ The Reading Zone

Do you sometimes feel afraid of talking in front of people, making a mistake or saying the wrong thing? While everywhere else you look there are loud, confident people?

You’re not alone. Ben Brooks also grew up as a shy child (so much so that he’d rather have cut his own hair or spend a week at a Silent Retreat then have to speak to other people). But he soon realised that being quiet doesn’t make you strange or wrong or boring. In fact, being shy can give you great skills such as listening, kindness and compassion. It’s something to embrace and be proud of.

In this book, Ben introduces readers to some of the most famous, talented and brilliant shy people – including Charles Darwin, David Bowie, Greta Thunberg, Rosa Parks, Beyonce and Emma Watson – who used their special quietness to achieve awesome things, and he shares his tips for growing up shy in a world that can sometimes feel, well, LOUD.

Because you don’t have to be loud to be liked, and you definitely don’t have to be loud to make an impact.

Victor is skeptical when Walter Swizwit comes to the village of Rainwater. He’s the latest in a string of inventors passing through, and no one wants to buy his cheap magic tricks. But Walter doesn’t take rejection well, and puts a curse on the village.

Only Victor is unaffected and he must leave Rainwater for the first time in his life if he’s to find the cure. Victor’s path takes him past other villages that Walter has damaged, and he picks up new companions on the way: Elena, handy with bow and arrow, Mo-Lan, a science prodigy, and scaredy-cat Mingus.

It’s soon clear that they underestimated Walter’s power. Only he has the cure for his magic and he’s locked away in his castle a thousand leagues away. But he’s not the only inventor out there… If Victor and his friends can get someone more powerful on their side, maybe they can win: find Walter, break the curse and return as heroes.

After all, there’s no place like home…

‘This book can save lives. This book can change lives. This book can help to bring forth another generation of boys who dare to be different.’ Benjamin Zephaniah

___________

Daniel Radcliffe, Galileo Galilei, Nelson Mandela, Louis Armstrong, Grayson Perry, Louis Braille, Lionel Messi, King George VI, Jamie Oliver… all dared to be different.

Prince charming, dragon slayer, mischievous prankster… More often than not, these are the role-models boys encounter in the books they read at home and at school. As a boy, there is an assumption that you will conform to a stereotypical idea of masculinity.

But what if you’re the introvert kind? What if you prefer to pick up a book rather than a sword? What if you want to cry when you’re feeling sad or angry? What if you like the idea of wearing a dress?

There is an ongoing crisis with regards to young men and mental health, with unhelpful gender stereotypes contributing to this malaise. Stories for Boys Who Dare to Be Different offers a welcome alternative narrative. It is an extraordinary compilation of 100 stories of famous and not-so-famous men from the past to the present day, every single one of them a rule-breaker and innovator in his own way, and all going on to achieve amazing things. Entries include Frank Ocean, Salvador Dalí, Rimbaud, Beethoven, Barack Obama, Stormzy, Ai Weiwei and Jesse Owens – different sorts of heroes from all walks of life and from all over the world.

A beautiful and transporting book packed with stories of adventure and wonderment, it will appeal to those who need the courage to reject peer pressure and go against the grain. It is the must-have book for all those boys who worry about stuff and all those parents who worry about their boys who worry about stuff. It will educate and entertain, while also encourage and inspire.

*For tales of even more brilliant men who have dared to be different, STORIES FOR BOYS WHO DARE TO BE DIFFERENT 2 is out now!*