E V E RY G I R L - E V E RY DAY

13th March 2020

Author Visit

Anthony McGowan – Reading

Changes Lives

Anthony (Tony) McGowan, author of

the funny, down-to-earth Donut Diary

series as well as the gritty young adult

novel The Knife that Killed Me (which

was made into a film!) spent Monday

at Croydon High.

When he was nine, his primary school

teacher gave him a copy of The Lord o f the Rings. It took him a few years to read it but, he says,

“afterwards, I’d become a different kind of person; one who read novels and might one day write

one”. He now has over 40 books under his belt, including non-fiction titles. A chance meeting in

Scotland, when his Henry Tumour won the Catalyst Award, led to Tony being invited to write

for Barrington Stoke which specialises in books for under-confident or dyslexic readers. The

result was Brock , the redemptive story of a teenager, Nicky, and his brother, Kenny, who has

learning difficulties, and the badger cub they rescue from a group of bullies. His schooling at the

‘worst school in Leeds’ provided fertile material for Brock , the first of a series; Rook , the third in

the series, was shortlisted for the prestigious 2017 Carnegie Award.

Tony breakfasted with the Croissants & Kindles Book Club, chatting

informally about favourite books and his writing, and talked over what

pupils sometimes find discouraging about reading. When asked if Tony

had to change his writing style for Barrington Stoke he replied: “Yes. My

‘normal’ writing style is quite complex, full of ‘look at me’ linguistic

flourishes and extravagant metaphors… that all had to go… in Brock , I

focused on character, setting, and plot. I pared my writing style down,

using simpler constructions and more direct language. I think it made me

E V E RY G I R L - E V E RY DAY

13th March 2020

a better writer.”

Barrington Stoke uses a bespoke font called

Barrington Stoke Roman that is helpful to

dyslexic readers, reducing the chance of a

reader confusing letter shapes. The books

are printed on a yellowish, tinted paper

that is easier on the eye. The Book Club

girls commented that sometimes Barrington

Stoke falls down on its book covers (too childish for tweens or teens). Although this is not the

case with Tony’s novels, he said he would pass on this useful feedback to the publisher. Gaby

(Year 9) is a Rook fan. She says: “Mrs Abrams gave me this book called Rook to try. 24 hours later

I returned it - not because I didn’t

enjoy it but because I could not put it

down! I had finished the whole book in

one day; I had never accomplished this

before.” High praise indeed.

Tony gave entertaining, animated

presentations to each of our Year 7, 8,

and 9 groups, which included dramatic

readings from his novels. He explained that every story needs an element of peril; for Brock , for

instance, it is the fear of the bully, while in the humorous Donut Diaries it is the ever-present

danger of humiliation. His advice for prospective writers:

Read obsessively;

Keep a notebook (whether this is in paper or electronic format) for ideas;

Write something short;

Make it perfect; and…

Finish it!

E V E RY G I R L - E V E RY DAY 13th March 2020

The best part of Tony’s day at Croydon High? When

Sarena and Anna (both in Year 11) suddenly

discovered that the author of The Donut Diaries, books

they were obsessed with when they were younger, was

in the LRC. They enjoyed a chat with Tony and Anna

purchased a copy of The Donut Diaries for Sarena, for

old times’ sake. Tony described this as “the best feeling

I’ve had in years!”.

Our girls expressed their own views of Tony’s visit:

“He was dramatic, interesting and funny.” (Theoni, Yr 9)

“He was an easy person to communicate with and he had good voice projection. There was a

sense of kindness while he was reading.” (Akshaya, Yr 7)

“It was interesting to hear about his career – he wanted to be an RAF pilot, and started

training to be a doctor before he became a writer… I started reading Donut Diaries and it’s

kind of funny.” (Julianna, Yr 7)

“He wasn’t boring; he was relatable even to people who aren’t big readers. Lots of people

bought his books because he inspired them. I like that he combined ancient and modern

literature e.g. his novel Hellbent, which is based on Dante’s Inferno .” (Freya, Yr 8)

“He was open and honest with us.” (Katie, Yr 7).

“I liked how he used comedy to teach us important life lessons.” (Shayana, Yr 8)

Mrs Karen Abrams

LRC Managher