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Clay

On sale

3rd October 2013

Price: £7.99

CILIP Carnegie Children's Book Award, 2006

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Selected: Paperback / ISBN-13: 9780340969953

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With fascination, Davie and his friend Geordie watch the arrival of a new boy, Stephen Rose, in their town. He seems to have come from nowhere, and when he arrives to live with his distant aunt, the local Crazy Mary, no one envies his new home. But perhaps he’s the answer to Davie and Geordie’s prayers – a secret weapon in their war against monstrous Mouldy and his gang.

Intrigued, Davie and Geordie befriend Stephen. But they are heading innocently down a path that brings with it a monster of an entirely unexpected nature. Their encounter with the mysterious Stephen is as incredible as it is menacing, and as the true story of Stephen’s past slowly emerges, Davie’s life is changed for ever…

A stunning novel from the author of the modern children’s classic Skellig – winner of the Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread Children’s Book Award. David Almond is also winner of the 2010 Hans Christian Andersen award.

Reviews

The Guardian
Dark and thought-provoking.
The Guardian
Hypnotic storytelling.
The Sunday Times
Funny, mysterious, moving, frightening and so deftly constructed as to be fiercely compelling. This is extraordinary story telling.
Catriona Ferguson
'Focusing on good and evil, love and desire and the supernatural, Clay transcends the limitations of some writing for children.'
The Guardian
This is the best that children's fiction has to offer. Brilliant.
The Scottish Sunday Herald
An effective, engaging story.
Daily Express
His most mysterious and spellbinding work yet.
The Sunday Times
A stunning read.
Books Quarterly
'... another gripping read from one of the master storytellers.'
The Guardian
This adroit and perceptive novel has both immediate appeal and long-lasting resonance.
Carousel, Autumn 2005
He weaves a story web, spiderlike, that holds the reader spellbound while he spins new thought-threads on universal themes
The Guardian
... lilting prose and a seamless blending of primitive magic with discerning realism. ... elegiac lyricism of a lament for lost innocence but punctuated by moments of sharply observed humour, this adroit and perceptive novel has both immediate appeal and long-lasting resonance.
Imogen Stubbs, The Daily Telegraph
An astonishing journey. I believe that Almond's books should be compulsory reading in all secondary schools.
The Times
The climax of this strange miraculous, beautiful book will make it a classroom classic.
Nicolette Jones, The Sunday Times
... funny, mysterious, moving, frightening, and so deftly constructed as to be fiercely compelling. ... not beneath the attention of adult readers.
Time Out
Both exhilarating and horrifying.
The Carnegie Medal Website
'...this story is totally accessible...an involving and thought provoking read.'
Amanda Craig, The Times
... a work of art out of the simplest words ...