Description

Junk Food Hero

by Pat Swindells

A deliciously biting comic tale of one super-sized teenager’s heroic transformation into a cool young guy with a future to die for.

George, aged 13, weighs 17 stone and is still growing in all directions. When a TV chef brings healthy food to the school dinner menu, George demands his right to chips, chips and more chips. But his teachers won’t budge and they set George thinking…perhaps his family’s devotion to fast food is the reason they are all so big and getting bigger?

Following a nightmarish encounter with himself as a grown-up, George embarks on a journey of discovery where he takes the giant leap from living to eat to eating to live.

“George is a likeable character, representing a group often portrayed negatively in children’s literature. This book is short enough to be read as a class story, and can be linked to a number of different topics. It should lead to some good discussion.” Learning Support

“Like George, many teens today are blind to the dangers of eating junk food… help is at hand in this briskly paced tale that entertains from beginning to end.” Metro

“…a wonderful, compelling read that entertains and informs in equal measure. Parents…should insist that for every hour your children spend on their Playstations or Xboxes this week, they devote an equal amount of time to reading Junk Food Hero. It could just change – perhaps even save – their lives.” Poppy Watt, Women Talking

“…taps into a national psyche. It examines teenage issues that are both contemporary and cross-cultural through a strong story that will challenge the reader to explore their own pre-conceived ideas and habits.” Louise Ellis-Barrett, The School Librarian

“Told with a lot of wit, in the vein of Roald Dahl, this book made my 12 year old start thinking about what effect all those crisps and chocolate were having on his body… and he even went out and kicked a ball round the park… Result!” Customer review, Amazon.co.uk

About the author

Pat Swindells is a former English and Music teacher who has had several educational books for teenagers published, including Nelson Mandela (Collins). Her book When the Death Penalty Came Back was listed as Number 1 Top Thriller by The Daily Mail. Previous fiction includes many short stories for women’s magazines.