Author:Dick King-Smith

There are six puppies in the pet shop window; five posh pedigree puppies, and a scruffy little mongrel with a grand ambition - to be a guard dog.
The other pups laugh at him. How can such a small, scruffy dog possibly expect to be bought to guard a home? Especially when his bark is the most horrible, earsplitting racket they have ever heard! Will the poor little guard dog be doomed to a lonely life in the Dogs' Home - or worse...?
A charming, funny tale
—— Daily MailA tale full of mishaps and coincidences which will appeal to a wide range of independent readers. The line drawings extend the humorous text beautifully
—— The School LibrarianIt's a gorgeous story and not only has a terrific message, but the message is so coated with delicious sugar that any child would enjoy it. I must say I cried at the end because I was so moved . . . He is a terrific writer and I thought the drawings were absolutely marvellous
—— Jilly CooperA hilarious new book for young readers by the ever-popular Dick King-Smith
—— Books for ChildrenDick King-Smith creates a complete world of humans and animals, and their complex relationships. There is humour and sadness. There is plenty of action. Jocelyn Wild's scribbly line drawings add to the general feeling of pace within the book. An entrancing and captivating read for younger children. The prolific author has done it again... Written a winner!
—— Junior Bookshelf'Deft, poignant yet savage ... Cadwalladr has real talent'
—— Independent on Sunday'A real delight to read...such a delicacy of touch...very funny...hugely enjoyable'
—— Margaret Forster'Very funny - and clever'
—— Daily Mirror'Be careful of this book ... it's reading-on-the-escalator stuff'
'An incisive tale of real feeling'
'Intelligent themes deftly delivered; bound to be a hit'
—— Elle magazine'I'd have been proud to have written this book as it manages loads of things most writers want to achieve - a clever, funny, sad story with a big heart and an even bigger brain' Jenny Eclair
—— Jenny Eclair, Glasgow HeraldFrom debates over the mysteries of genetics to footnotes on popular culture, Cadwalladr wears her intelligence so lightly, and with a tone so natural, it's hard to believe this is her first novel
—— Arts TelegraphCadwalladr also captures the desperation at the heart of most good comedy. She maintains the tragicomic balance to the end and has the confidence to chose the right, realistic ending over the wrong, romantic one
—— The Observer/ReviewA hilariously funny and moving chronical of three generations of the Monroe family told through the eyes of Rebecca in the 1970s. It is not just a habit of quoting proverbs and a recipe for sherry trifle that have passed down the maternal line. There's a habit of broken marriages, dubiously fathered children and untimely deaths.
—— EliteRebecca Monroe is really stumped when it comes to her family's behaviour. Why, on the day Charles and Camilla got married, did her mum lock herself in the loo and refuse to come out? Was it due to the collapse of her chocolate cake, or because Rebecca's grandmother ended up marrying her first cousin?
Pondering what it is that makes her clan click, Rebecca is determined to discover whether it is genes or fate that affects the different generations.
A fun little romp about the joys of family and the genes we inherit.
Touching and surprising...A moving account of the personal and social pressures that shape our childhood experiences and resonate throughout out lives
—— The Sunday TimesThis exciting first novel by a talented writer is a moving exploration of family life in the twenty-first century...You won't want to put this book down
—— My WeeklyHilariously funny and moving chronicle of three generations
—— Peterborough Evening News