as children's writers go frank cottrell boyce is not half bad, although a bit blokey. (apparently he is also one of the screenwriters for the film adaptation of tristram shandy!) i tried framed a few weeks ago and thought it amusing (small town philistines meet national gallery art, how can that not be promising? get your gp students to read it when you get on the topic of aesthetics.) and today i came across another of his books in sengkang (about two children who find a bag of ten pound notes three weeks before britain is due to switch to the euro and their unsuccessful attempts to spend the money (while causing an inflationary supply of money in the school playground) three chapters in. i'll let people know how it goes.)

anyway, read: "balaclavas encourage crime," or, excerpt from framed, at the puffin website.)