More about the authors: Much more about Muchamore

Robert Muchamore provides a big finish to the Amazing Books for Boys event. The mega-selling author of the CHERUB series of books will be meeting fans and taking questions from 4pm in the main theatre. Here, Mark Thornton of Mostly Books analyses the phenomenon that is Robert Muchamore, and why he seems to be able to reach the reading part in kids (particularly boys) that other authors cannot reach...

"A troika of children's authors can be found dominating the area of teen reads for boys. Anthony Horowitz with his Alex Rider books, Charlie Higson with Young Bond...and Robert Muchamore with his CHERUB series of books. Knocking on the door increasingly is 'Jimmy Coates' author Joe Craig (also appearing on June 20th as one of the authors Trapped By Monsters) - but these three stand alone.

All three produce cracking adventure stories concerning child spies and gadgets galore, but whereas the young James Bond and Alex Rider have glamorous backgrounds and/or upbringings, what gives Muchamore's writing an edge (in my opinion) is the background of the main man: James Adams. Here's a kid who has every disadvantage in life, who moves with the wrong crowd, goes into care - and from there into the shadowy, murky world of Cherub.

The other children recruited into the CHERUB organisation have similar unfortunate backgrounds - one interviewer described Muchamore as having created "The Lost Boys (and Girls) in the 21st century". The fact that the Cherub kids have a touch more grit and realism about them may be one reason that kids - particularly boys - who have never been interested in reading, suddenly devour the Cherub books and start looking for more. I can vouch for this on a personal level: a thirteen year old nephew - never that interested in books - has been transformed by his brush with Cherub. Now we have something to talk about when it comes to discussing the shop.

One of the things Robert does in his writing - like all the best authors - is to empower the kids that feature in the stories. But uniquely for Robert, there are no magic powers or privileged background to elevate the boys and girls he writes about, they call on inner reserves of strength to survive brutal training and missions. It's this empowerment of kids at the very bottom of the pecking order that I think strikes a chord with children who've perhaps been tagged as reluctant readers, or having problems with reading. There's an instant connection there - and the stories are given a chance.

This isn't Robert's first visit to Abingdon. Back when The Recruit was fresh out, Robert did one of his first ever events at Abingdon School. We're hoping that he has a triumphant return on June 20th. We're very excited that he's coming - and his fans are too."

For much more about Robert, including the latest news about his Eagle Day tour, visit the official CHERUB campus, or the Robert Muchamore site.

Who are Trapped By Monsters?

We've had some calls recently asking: who - or what - are "Trapped By Monsters". Well, according to their website, they're a group of authors who met up to write the ultimate guide to bumping off monsters, but instead were captured, locked in a cave, and forced to blog for food, water and decent loo roll.

Apparently (we can reveal) out of the eight authors originally captured, two have been eaten - but the remaining six will be 'let out' for the event on June 20th. They are:

Andy Briggs is the author of the ‘Hero.com’ and ‘Villain.net’ double series of books. Surfing the net during a lightning storm has amazing consequences for a group of teenage friends as suddenly superhero powers are theirs at the click of a mouse. Find out more on Andy's website - or on the official Hero.com / Villain.net site.

Joe Craig is the author of the Jimmy Coates books. If Alex Rider is James Bond, then Jimmy is definitely Jason Bourne. In fact, Joe Craig is increasingly mentioned in the same breath as Anthony Horowitz (Alex Rider) and Charlie Higson (Young Bond) as one of the best spy kids authors around. Jimmy is a bio-engineered genetic assassin who goes on the run from his 'masters'. It's high-octane writing that boys just love. Check out more on the author's own website.

Tommy Donbavand is the author of Scream Street, which follows the adventures of Luke Watson, a reluctant werewolf and his new friends, a mummy and a wannabe vampire. It's scary but utterly compelling - and Tommy is incredibly funny in the flesh (that's human flesh, not the zombie variety). Tommy has visited Abingdon once before and chaos ensued.

Sam Enthoven is the writer of fantastical action thrillers, such as the dinosaur adventure ‘Tim, Defender of the Earth’. Learn more about him, his books, and his megalomania tendencies at his official website.

We know David Melling very well 'cos he lives in Abingdon. His wacky illustrations for his ‘Goblins’ series of books create a whole new imaginary (not to mention incredibly funny) world peopled with slurping gooey goblins with names like Mildew and Dribbledraws. David will be aiming to draw a 'flattering' portrait of the monsters on the day in the hope of avoiding being eaten...but don't bet on it David! David has written and illustrated plenty of other books - check out his website here.

Ali Sparkes writes the Monster Maker series. Jack and Lewis love drawing monsters, but they don't expect them to come to life... and when they do things start to get messy. As Ali herself says, you'll never look at porridge, apple juice or electricity pylons in the same way again...go find out more about her books here.

Lots more about these authors on the blog before the big day, but go check out their websites - and don't forget to see just how much trouble they're in on the Trapped By Monsters website itself...

More about the authors: Chris Bradford

Appearing at AB4B is Chris Bradford - and he's a seriously talented guy. Not only is he the author of the Young Samurai series of books, he is also a talented song writer and a black belt in Taijutsu, which means that when he appears on stage, he does so with his samurai sword. Awesome.



This is not Chris' first visit to Abingdon. Last year he appeared at Larkmead School, having fought off Ninja Assassins who tried to stop him getting to the school.

Chris will be live on stage at 2.30pm with the Oxford Martial Arts Display Team. It is quite a show...full ticket details here.

Amazing Books for Boys

It's the biggest thing we've ever done: on June 20th, we've assembled eight of the finest authors writing for boys, together in one place. Headlined by Robert Muchamore, with Chris Bradford, and the authors behind Trapped By Monsters, it's going to be high-octane afternoon.

The first event is at 1pm. There'll be storytelling and bushcraft session during the afternoon. There are chances to win tickets for your school or youth club. Visit the Amazing Books for Boys website to find out more.

Take part in our vote - tell us who your favourite authors are - and spread the word!