Ten-year-old Daniel is never happier than when he is eating chips. Especially during his family's annual Chip Shop Championships, the highlight of his year. And especially when he can also eat chips with Monkey, his beloved soft toy and trusty companion. But one terrible November day, the lives of Daniel and his family are changed forever when an accident renders Daniel a shadow of his former self. As Daniel retreats into himself, his family slowly begin to fall apart, without this bright boy at the heart of their lives.
When an impromptu trip to a chip shop seems to briefly engage Daniel with the real world, the family decide to revisit their Chip Shop Championships, on a quest to find the best chip shop in the country. Along the way, as they attempt to rebuild their family and regain Daniel, they must contend with hungry giraffes, nouveau cuisine, the loss of Monkey, the theft of Grandma, and lots of chips. Mark Lowery grew up in Preston but now lives near Cambridge with his young family. Some of the time he is a primary-school teacher. In the olden days he used to spend his time doing lots of active stuff like running, hiking, snowboarding and swimming but now he prefers staying in and attempting to entertain his children. He has an MA in Writing for Children and his first two books - Socks Are Not Enough and Pants Are Everything - were both shortlisted for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize. Mark is also the author of the Roman Garstang series (The Jam Doughnut that Ruined my Life; The Chicken Nugget Ambush; Attack of the Woolly Jumper, The Great Caravan Catastrophe). He is yet to find a cake that he doesn't like. Follow Mark on www.marklowery.co.uk or on Twitter: @hellomarklowery A warm, bittersweet and wryly funny story of a family piecing themselves back together after an accident shatters their lives A story with a wonderful mix of humour and poignancy/sadness and a strong central voice from autistic Daniel Mark Lowery is a teacher with experience of teaching autistic children; this novel draws on that experience A story that resounds with important themes: responses to children with special needs, the power of family/sibling relationships, and restoring and repairing lives after traumatic events Mark's previous stand alone novel, CHARLIE AND ME, received great critical acclaim from both authors and the press: The Sunday Times called it a 'A marvellous novel' and it was picked for inclusion in the Empathy Lab's 2018 Read for Empathy Guide For fans of Phil Earle, Lara Williamson and Lisa Thompson
