David Gilman’s MONKEY AND ME (published by Templar in the UK and Penguin in Australia) has been nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Medal, awarded annually to the writer of an outstanding book for children. The selection process for the Carnegie Medal is organised by the Youth Libraries Group (YLG). 12 children's librarians - members of the YLG - form the panel of judges. The judges will read and assess each title, and a longlist for the Medal will be announced on Tuesday 10 February 2015, followed by a shortlist on Tuesday 17 March 2015. The winning titles will be announced at an awards ceremony in Summer 2015, date to be confirmed.
MONKEY AND ME has also been nominated for the Fantastic Book Awards 2014, voted for by thousands of schoolchildren in Lancashire.
Ten-year-old ‘Beanie’ is always getting into scrapes, and his older brother Mark keeps getting a black eye from standing up to belligerent kids who pick on his younger brother. Their dad has given up his job as a truck driver to work as a postman, to be closer to home, and we know that things are not quite right with the family. But there’s a world outside filled with excitement and intrigue as Beanie makes a bid to join his brother’s gang, and they brave the scary deserted house The Black Gate, where some creature is making frightening noises…only to come upon, of all things, a chimpanzee. How exactly he got there is a mystery to be solved as Beanie bonds with the ape he names Malcolm, discovering that he seems to know some basic sign language. Has he escaped from an animal experiment laboratory? Who are the men pursuing him? And can the boys rescue Malcolm from what could be a harsh fate, with the help, perhaps of a deaf girl…
David Gilman is an award winning screenwriter, who has written for long running series like DALZIEL AND PASCOE and A TOUCH OF FROST. He is currently writing the MASTER OF WAR historical adventure series for adults.
Praise for MONKEY AND ME
‘I haven't read anything like this book before... I liked this sad, humorous, emotional book and I rate it 9¾ out of 10.’ – Child book reviewer, Children’s Books site, The Guardian
‘We desperately need writing of this quality for this younger age group... Some very serious, thought-provoking issues are tackled with a very skilful, light and humorous touch making this is a book to appeal to many different audiences and be read on many different levels.’ – Schoolzone
‘MONKEY AND ME is a fantastic read that will have both boys and girls totally engrossed.’ – Booksforkeeps