Ben Brooks

"A love story about a teenage boy who meets a middle-aged woman on the internet. When his long-term girlfriend and first love Alice betrays him at a house party, Edgar goes looking for cyber solace in the arms of Macy, a woman he meets online. What could possibly go wrong?"--Publisher's description.

Lolito

Who says youth is wasted on the young?Jasper wants to get on in the world, but life is distracting. He's got his A-levels to contend with, his mother pushing him to overachieve, weekly visits to his psychologist, come-downs, YouTube suicides and pregnant one-night-stands. And then there's his step-dad - the murderer. Hilarious and heartbreaking by turns, GROW UP is the ultimate twenty-first-century coming-of-age novel. It paints a vivid portrait of the pills and thrills and bellyaches of growing up today. Funny, smart and twisted, it is the story of one young man transformed.

Grow Up

Daniel Radcliffe, Galileo Galilei, Nelson Mandela, Louis Armstrong, Grayson Perry, Louis Braille, Lionel Messi, King George VI, Jamie Oliver... all dared to be different. 'This book can save lives. This book can change lives. This book can help to bring forth another generation of boys who dare to be different.' Benjamin Zephaniah Prince charming, dragon slayer, mischievous prankster... More often than not, these are the role-models boys encounter in the books they read at home and at school. As a boy, there is an assumption that you will conform to a stereotypical idea of masculinity. But what if you're the introvert kind? What if you prefer to pick up a book rather than a sword? What if you want to cry when you're feeling sad or angry? What if you like the idea of wearing a dress? There is an ongoing crisis with regards to young men and mental health, with unhelpful gender stereotypes contributing to this malaise. Stories for Boys Who Dare to Be Different offers a welcome alternative narrative. It is an extraordinary compilation of 100 stories of famous and not-so-famous men from the past to the present day, every single one of them a rule-breaker and innovator in his own way, and all going on to achieve amazing things. Entries include Frank Ocean, Salvador Dalí, Rimbaud, Beethoven, Barack Obama, Stormzy, Ai Weiwei and Jesse Owens - different sorts of heroes from all walks of life and from all over the world. A beautiful and transporting book packed with stories of adventure and wonderment, it will appeal to those who need the courage to reject peer pressure and go against the grain. It is the must-have book for all those boys who worry about stuff and all those parents who worry about their boys who worry about stuff. It will educate and entertain, while also encourage and inspire.

Stories for Boys Who Dare to Be Different

Hurra por la hermana que salta desde un aparcamiento de varias plantas y lleva ropa interior sin combinar. Hurra por imaginar un entierro al que van Harry Potter, las últimas vaquitas marinas y los dos Murakamis. Hurra por dormir hasta tarde, las cervezas para desayunar y los universos paralelos donde todo es un poco mejor. Hurra por los tatuajes importantes hechos con tinta de boli y aguja de coser. Hurra por el padre que vive en una tienda de campaña y por la madre que siempre dice yo también tengo derecho a salir. Hurra por la huida a París, Berlín y Barcelona. Hurra por la única chica que te entiende

Hurra

Crezco

Do not approach dinosaurs. Do not shout disparaging remarks at dinosaurs. Do not, even in the privacy of your own homes, make jokes about dinosaurs. Do not draw dinosaurs. Do not concern yourself with the nature of dinosaurs. Do not blink in the presence of dinosaurs. Just don't. Okay?

Everyone Gets Eaten

The Greatest Possible Good 

!--[if gte mso 9] 800x600 ![endif]-- New York Times bestseller Boys can be anything they want to be! This timely book joins and expands the gender-role conversation and gives middle-grade boys a welcome alternative message: that masculinity can mean many things. You won't find any stories of slaying dragons or saving princesses here. In Stories for Boys Who Dare to Be Different, author Ben Brooks-with the help of Quinton Wintor's striking full-color illustrations-offers a welcome alternative narrative: one that celebrates introverts and innovators, sensitivity and resilience, individuality and expression. It's an accessible compilation of 75 famous and not-so-famous men from the past to the present day, every single one of them a rule-breaker and stereotype-smasher in his own way. Entries include Frank Ocean, Salvador Dali, Beethoven, Barack Obama, Ai Weiwei, Jesse Owens, and so many more-heroes from all walks of life and from all over the world.

True Tales of Amazing Boys Who Changed the World without Killing Dragons

Jede Generation hat ihre eigene Geschichte übers Erwachsenwerden. Das hier ist eure.

Roman

Nachts werden wir erwachsen

Fiction. "AN ISLAND OF FIFTY is a new literary bomb, resulting in the shrapnel of gold, ships, ocean, chandeliers, dreams, blood, and flame. Old and stale literature won't know what just hit. This is something new masking itself in the old and I'm so so so excited"—Shane Jones. "Ben Brooks is popping quarks with AN ISLAND OF FIFTY, spilling new flavors of literature on the swampy bookstacks of old. Call it new political, new ecological, new sociological, new poetic activism, or even new imaginary creationism. This book builds up to tear down and tears down to build up. Desire as melancholia, progress as slippage, and wanting for wanting's sake. The floodgates crumble. I relish the shape of this new wordspace, the play of noise and whisper, the unfamiliar voices, and the ache of nihilism paradoxically juxtaposed with the gleam of hopeful invention"—Christopher Higgs.

An Island of Fifty

Stories for Boys who dare to be different - Vom Mut, anders zu sein

"Fifteen-year-old Etgar Allison is spending spring break alone in an empty house, when he inadvertently learns that his girlfriend has cheated on him with another boy. Heartbroken and lonely, without parental supervision, he turns to alcohol. Unable to cope with his grief, he looks to the Internet for comfort and lands in an adult chatroom. There he meets Macy, a bored but attractive housewife; flirtatious IMs escalate into cybersex chats and soon Etgar is raiding his savings account for a romantic rendezvous in London. What could possibly go wrong? Ben Brooks's Lolito is an uncompromising look at the turbulent emotional life of teenage boys, a funny and poignant story that injects raw honesty--and even a little tenderness--into its portrait of a taboo relationship."--Provided from Amazon.com.

a novel

-- Stories for Boys Who Dare to Be Different, It's an accessible compilation of 75 famous and not-so-famous men from the past to the present day, every single one of them a rule-breaker and stereotype-smasher in his own way. Entries include Frank Ocean, Salvador Dali, Beethoven, Barack Obama, Ai Weiwei, Jesse Owens, and so many more-heroes from all walks of life and from all over the world.

True Tales of Amazing Boys who Changed the World Without Killing Dragons

Stories for Boys who Dare to be Different

Drawing on the narrative of his own life growing up as painfully shy child, Ben Brooks explores what it is to be 'quiet' - what it means, what it can feel like and how we can embrace it - and debunks some of the myths about what it means to be a shy person. Around 60% of adults identify as 'shy' - just one of the facts that Ben uses to 'normalise' shyness, outlining stories of famously shy people from the past and the present - Charles Darwin, David Bowie, Greta Thunberg, Rosa Parks, Beyonce, Emma Watson - revealing the stories of successful adults who grew up shy but didn't let it get in the way of their passion and creativity. Shy kids often have great innate skills - listening, creativity, kindness, compassion and problem-solving - so being shy or quiet is not something to 'outgrow' but something to embrace and be proud of. Unique to the children's market, this book will help shy kids to thrive in their own (quiet) way ...

A Quiet Kid's Guide to Being Heard

You Don't Have to be Loud

A new book that will inspire children, by the global bestselling author of Stories for Boys Who Dare to be Different. The words in Dare to be Different have great power. Ben Brooks has brought together 100 people who have all in some way or another used words to do wonderful things. Some may have changed a single life, while others have changed the course of history for almost everyone on earth. But whether their effects were big or small, these individuals' speeches, letters, poems, songs, stories, and advice prove one thing: words can make the world a better place. And they can make you feel better about yourself too. This extraordinary compendium includes personal letters that were written for just one reader to help guide them through life's journey; sometimes they were intended for millions of people to hear about grand declarations of war, peace or new discoveries. Most of the time, though, they are words of wisdom that children will love to hear, about kindness, bullying, or whether it's OK to sometimes eat chocolate for breakfast. From Plautus' plays about the power of laughter to Selena Gomez's speech about bullying; and from F. Scott Fitzgerald's letters of encouragement to his daughter, Scottie, to Bambi, the mysterious graffiti artist who sprays words of truth on walls, there is something to be learned from every quote in this inspiring and illuminating book. Children will be enthused and comforted by the wonderful true stories Brooks has brought from across history and from around the world. Each one is exquisitely illustrated by Quinton Winter, who made the Stories for Boys series so visually exciting.

Inspirational Words from People Who Changed the World

Dare to be Different

Age is just a number… Lolito is an unconventional love story about a fifteen-year-old boy who finds solace in the arms of a middle-aged woman on the Internet. Fifteen-year-old Etgar Allison is spending spring break alone in an empty house, when he inadvertently learns that his girlfriend has cheated on him with another boy. Heartbroken and lonely, without parental supervision, he turns to alcohol. Unable to cope with his grief, he looks to the Internet for comfort and lands in an adult chatroom. There he meets Macy, a bored but attractive housewife; flirtatious IMs escalate into cybersex chats and soon Etgar is raiding his savings account for a romantic rendezvous in London. . . What could possibly go wrong? Ben Brooks’s Lolito is an uncompromising look at the turbulent emotional life of teenage boys, a funny and poignant story that injects raw honesty—and even a little tenderness—into its portrait of a taboo relationship.

Etgar ha quindici anni e gli piacciono il tè col Nesquik e i film in cui non muore nessuno. Passa il tempo sotto il piumone con la sua ragazza Alice a navigare su Wikipedia e a guardare video virali su You Tube. Durante una festa scopre che Alice l'ha tradito con un tipo più muscoloso e più peloso di lui. Irrimediabilmente ferito, va in cerca di consolazione sul web. E presto si ritrova fra le bracca (virtuali) di Macy, quaranetnne annoiata che frequenta le chat per adulti. Etgar tenta di fingersi più grande di quel che è, ma le cose tra i due approdano velocemente nel mondo reale. Mentre gli amici credono che sia rintanato nella sua cameretta a ubriacarsi di sidro e guardare documentari sugli animali marini, lui parte per Londra, dove ha prenotato una stanza d'albergo per passare la notte con Macy... Ben Brooks ribalta lo schema letterario nabokoviano per raccontare una generazione - la sua - che vive in bilico tra dolore e desiderio di rivalsa, armata soltanto di social network e autoironia. Divertente, coraggioso e dissacrante, Lolito è un'autentica storia d'amore del Ventunesimo secolo.

What do you think of when you hear the word 'hero'? Is it the wall-climbing, cape-wearing, villain-fighter you see in comics and films? Heroes can actually come in all forms, shapes and sizes. Some cook for the hungry. Some nurse the poorly back to health. Others raise money for important causes. From small acts of kindness to inventions that have saved the lives of hundreds of people, every person in this book has found their passion - or their superpower. No matter how big or small it might be, your power can be used to change the world for the better too. So put away the cape, climb down from that wall and discover how ordinary people can still do extraordinary things and become heroes. Written by Ben Brooks, the bestselling author of the Dare to Be Different books, and paired with vibrant comic-style illustrations throughout, this is the perfect guide for the budding superhero in your life!

Not All Heroes Wear Capes

A fully illustrated book collecting important, impactful, and inspiring words from amazing people who have made a difference by a New York Times bestselling author and illustrator team. The things we say, write, and sing can inspire, comfort, uplift, and excite other people. But words do not only provoke emotions, they lead to action too. This book, like most others, is a collection of words. What makes these words different is how they changed the world and changed peoples' lives. Some of them were heard by millions of people around the planet, while others were written in personal letters from one person to another. Learn more about 75 people throughout history who have used their words to make a difference in the world, including Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nujeen Mustafa, Lin Yutang, Lydia Maria Child, Malala, Socrates, Sampa the Great, and more. Fully illustrated with art by Quinton Winter, this new middle grade book is sure to uplift and inspire young readers to use words to change the world.

Ben Brooks

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