Ben Brooks

How much should one person give to make the world a better place? How much can one family take? **The hilarious, thought-provoking new novel from the Somerset Maugham and British Book Award-winning Ben Brooks** 'Brooks is a frighteningly young talent.' Tim Key 'I love Ben Brooks.' Matt Haig ‘You’ll not forget the Candlewicks once you meet them! This splendid, wry satire is about a wealthy family, self-important and confident in their morality, whose blithe and bumptious existences are thrown into disarray when their father clandestinely decides to give all their money to charity, and so (in their opinions) completely destroys their lives. Droll and all-too-real.’ LitHub 'A warmhearted tragicomedy about what it means to live a good life.' People Magazine ‘A sharp-witted tragicomedy about money, morality, and a family teetering on the brink. A splendidly funny novel.’ Jenny Jackson, New York Times bestselling author of Pineapple Street “I’d like you to imagine that you’re walking to work one day and you come upon a child drowning in a pool of water. But imagine that someone refused to jump in after the child on the grounds that it would ruin his three-hundred-pound pair of John Lobb loafers. We’d consider them utterly immoral, would we not?’ Arthur Candlewick spends three days in a disused mineshaft with only his son’s drug stash, a book on the concept of ‘effective altruism’ and a bottle of medium-priced Bordeaux for company. When he emerges, he has made the life-changing decision to become a good man. Deciding to sell the family timber business and give away his wealth to charity, Arthur’s family become convinced that he has lost his mind. His university-bound daughter, Evangeline, wants to change the world but perhaps not at the cost of her own privileged life. His son, Emil, good at maths and not much else, becomes more distant than ever. And his wife, Yara, who arrives at airports four hours early and fears that AI and climate change will leave her children unemployed, just wants the doctor to run another brain scan on her husband. Incisive, hilarious and unflinchingly human, The Greatest Possible Good asks fundamental questions about what it means to live a good life while introducing the world to one of the great families of contemporary literature. ‘Ben Brooks is a magical imp who pumps out dark nuggets of poetry and makes you snort with laughter.’ Noel Fielding ‘Brooks has the timing of a genius stand-up comic.’ Richard Milward ‘Ben Brooks is a writer who genuinely excites me.’ Colin Herd, 3:AM Magazine

Who wants to fall asleep to tales of dragons being slain, wars being fought, and princesses being rescued who, quite frankly, could have rescued themselves? Our boys need a new kind of hero. Rule-breakers and innovators who aren't afraid to think outside and be themselves, whatever people think about how men should behave. Bedtime Stories for Boys Who Dare to Be Different is a collection of the lives of 200 incredible men from all over the world - from David Attenborough to Beethoven to Stormzy - who succeeded through brains, not brawn, and who will inspire young boys everywhere to follow their dreams.

The hilarious, thought-provoking new novel from the Somerset Maugham and British Book Award-winning Ben Brooks. ‘A sharp-witted tragicomedy about money, morality, and a family teetering on the brink. A splendidly funny novel.’ Jenny Jackson, New York Times bestselling author of Pineapple Street 'Brooks is a frighteningly young talent.' Tim Key 'I love Ben Brooks.' Matt Haig Arthur Candlewick spends three days in a disused mineshaft with only his son’s drug stash, a book on the concept of ‘effective altruism’ and a bottle of medium-priced Bordeaux for company. When he emerges, he has made the life-changing decision to become a good man. Deciding to sell the family timber business and give away his wealth to charity, Arthur’s family becomes convinced that he has lost his mind. His university-bound daughter, Evangeline, wants to change the world but perhaps not at the cost of her own privileged life. His son, Emil, good at maths and not much else, becomes more distant than ever. And his wife, Yara, who arrives at airports four hours early and fears that AI and climate change will leave her children unemployed, just wants the doctor to run another brain scan on her husband. Incisive, hilarious and unflinchingly human, The Greatest Possible Good asks fundamental questions about what it means to live a good life while introducing the world to one of the great families of contemporary literature. ‘Ben Brooks is a magical imp who pumps out dark nuggets of poetry and makes you snort with laughter.’ Noel Fielding ‘Brooks has the timing of a genius stand-up comic.’ Richard Milward ‘Ben Brooks is a writer who genuinely excites me.’ Colin Herd, 3:AM Magazine

The hilarious, thought-provoking new novel from the Somerset Maugham and British Book Award-winning Ben Brooks. ‘A sharp-witted tragicomedy about money, morality, and a family teetering on the brink. A splendidly funny novel.’ Jenny Jackson, New York Times bestselling author of Pineapple Street 'Brooks is a frighteningly young talent.' Tim Key 'I love Ben Brooks.' Matt HaigHow much should one person give to make the world a better place? How much can one family take?“I’d like you to imagine that you’re walking to work one day and you come upon a child drowning in a pool of water. But imagine that someone refused to jump in after the child on the grounds that it would ruin his three-hundred-pound pair of John Lobb loafers. We’d consider them utterly immoral, would we not?’ Arthur Candlewick spends three days in a disused mineshaft with only his son’s drug stash, a book on the concept of ‘effective altruism’ and a bottle of medium-priced Bordeaux for company. When he emerges, he has made the life-changing decision to become a good man. Deciding to sell the family timber business and give away his wealth to charity, Arthur’s family become convinced that he has lost his mind. His university-bound daughter, Evangeline, wants to change the world but perhaps not at the cost of her own privileged life. His son, Emil, good at maths and not much else, becomes more distant than ever. And his wife, Yara, who arrives at airports four hours early and fears that AI and climate change will leave her children unemployed, just wants the doctor to run another brain scan on her husband. Incisive, hilarious and unflinchingly human, The Greatest Possible Good asks fundamental questions about what it means to live a good life while introducing the world to one of the great families of contemporary literature. ‘Ben Brooks is a magical imp who pumps out dark nuggets of poetry and makes you snort with laughter.’ Noel Fielding ‘Brooks has the timing of a genius stand-up comic.’ Richard Milward ‘Ben Brooks is a writer who genuinely excites me.’ Colin Herd, 3:AM Magazine

';I love Ben Brooks.' Matt Haig ';Brooks is a frightening young talent.' Tim KeyHOW MUCH SHOULD ONE PERSON GIVE TO MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE? AND HOW MUCH CAN ONE FAMILY TAKE? When Arthur Candlewick falls down a disused mineshaft with only his son's drug stash, a book on the concept of ';effective altruism' and a bottle of medium-priced Bordeaux for company, his life takes an unexpected turn. Determined to sell up the family timber business and devote his remaining time on earth to giving away his wealth in a way which does most good to humanity, his decision will leave a lasting legacy to the world but have unintended and unforeseen consequences for those he loves the most.

"A sharp-witted tragicomedy about money, morality, and a family teetering on the brink. A splendidly funny novel." --Jenny Jackson, New York Times bestselling author of Pineapple Street For readers of Paul Murray's The Bee Sting and Jenny Jackson's Pineapple Street, an irresistibly funny and incisive novel about a wealthy family that is confident in its good intentions--until the discovery that their patriarch has secretly given all their money to charity ruins their lives. Meet the Candlewicks. Seventeen-year-old Evangeline (a.k.a Dubbin), wants to change the world, has a penchant for throwing fake blood during protests, and despairs at the smug complacency of the rest of her family. Emil is fifteen, and a painfully shy math prodigy who has just begun dabbling in narcotics. Their mother, Yara, arrives at airports four hours early and fears that AI and climate change will leave her children unemployed and unable to go outside for longer than ten minutes. And, Arthur, the father, a hapless and always neutral man, who can't decide if he is a good person or a doormat--forgiving and understanding or weak and terrified. Their comfortable lives are thrown into disarray when Arthur walks out into the woods one night for a stroll in his calfskin slippers only to fall down an abandoned mineshaft. Disoriented and unable to move, he remains there for three days with only a bottle of mid-range Bordeaux, his son's confiscated stash of LSD, and his daughter's book on the concept of Effective Altruism for company. When he is rescued, he is a man transformed. Determined to give away all of his wealth and devote the rest of his life to the (statistically proven) most worthy causes, his metamorphosis shocks his family and triggers a chain of events that will have far-reaching and unforeseen consequences for them all. Equal parts hilarious and achingly human, The Greatest Possible Good spans ten years in the lives of the Candlewicks, asking universal questions about what it means to live a good life and if there is a "right" way to be a good person, while introducing the world to one of the most memorable and dysfunctional families in contemporary literature.

A heart-warming exploration of love and loss and the magic of hope and family from the bestselling author of THE IMPOSSIBLE BOY, perfect for fans of Matt Haig and Ben Miller.

Våga vara annorlunda är uppföljaren till succéerna Sagor för pojkar som vågar vara annorlunda och Sagor för barn som vågar vara annorlunda. Här möter vi 100 människor som på olika sätt, genom mod, kreativitet, uppfinningsrikedom och medmänsklighet gjort avtryck i historien. Gemensamt för dem alla är att de har använt ord för att göra bra saker, genom tal, brev, låttexter, berättelser och poesi har de förändrat världen. Här kan man läsa om Ignaz Semmelweis som genom två ord räddade massor av liv: "tvätta händerna", Alexandr Solzjenitsyn som vågade berätta om hemskheterna och brutaliteten i Stalins Sovjet, Greta Thunberg som genom sin protest utanför Sveriges riksdag och sitt plakat med texten "Skolstrejk för klimatet" startade en världsomspännande miljörörelse, Malala Yousafzai som vågade kämpa emot den totalitära talibanregimen och efter sitt tal i FN blev en symbol för hopp och motståndskraft, samt en massa andra fascinerande personer att inspireras av.

Litteraturen är full av drömprinsar, modiga riddare och superhjältar. Men tänk om man som pojke hellre tar upp en bok än ett svärd? Hellre har på sig kjol än jeans? I Sagor för pojkar som vågar vara annorlunda möter vi andra slags hjältar, som alla har det gemensamt att de vågat gå sin egen väg. Här presenteras 100 män och pojkar, kända och mindre kända, nutida och dåtida, som alla varit banbrytande på sitt sätt, uträttat fantastiska saker och gjort världen till en lite bättre plats. Genom sitt mod, sin generositet och medkänsla har de blivit förebilder och inspiratörer för hela generationer. Med fantastiska illustrationer och fängslande, spännande texter är Sagor för pojkar som vågar vara annorlunda en inspirationskälla för alla, och framförallt för pojkar som inte känner igen sig i de stereotypa pojk- och mansidealen. Här kan de som behöver få uppmuntran och mod att strunta i grupptryck och normer och våga vara sig själva fullt ut. I boken möter du bland många andra:Buddha, Galileo Galilei, Ludwig van Beethoven, Arthur Rimbaud, Oscar Wilde, Salvador Dalí, Nikola Tesla, Roald Dahl, Stephen Hawking, David Attenborough, Lionel Messi, Muhammad Ali, Bill Gates, Ai Weiwei, Barack Obama, Harvey Milk och Nelson Mandela.

A shy kid's guide to thriving in their own (quiet) way. Do you sometimes feel afraid of talking in front of people, making a mistake or saying the wrong thing? While everywhere else you look there are loud, confident people? You're not alone. Ben Brooks also grew up as a shy child (so much so that he'd rather have cut his own hair or spend a week at a Silent Retreat then have to speak to other people). But he soon realised that being quiet doesn't make you strange or wrong or boring. In fact, being shy can give you great skills such as listening, kindness and compassion. It's something to embrace and be proud of. In this book, Ben introduces readers to some of the most famous, talented and brilliant shy people - including Charles Darwin, David Bowie, Greta Thunberg, Rosa Parks, Beyonce and Emma Watson - who used their special quietness to achieve awesome things, and he shares his tips for growing up shy in a world that can sometimes feel, well, LOUD. Because you don't have to be loud to be liked, and you definitely don't have to be loud to make an impact.

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.

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.

Join the adventure. Break the curse. Find your way home. A magical new adventure from the bestselling author of THE IMPOSSIBLE BOY.

'AN INDISPENSABLE USER'S GUIDE TO ADOLESCENTS.. THE MOST REASSURING THING ABOUT THIS BOOK IS THAT IT'S SO GOOD' Daily Mail'EVERY PARENT SHOULD READ THIS BOOK' Clover Stroud'A MUST-READ FOR THOSE WITH TEENAGE KIDS' Candice Brathwaite------------A field guide for parents about the secret lives of 21st-century teenagers - from relationships to self-harm, from drugs to sexting - and how you can help them and yourself through these turbulent years." When I turned into a teenager, I watched my parents panic with questions they were unprepared for: is the computer killing his brain? is he watching porn? are those cuts on his arms? what the hell do we do now? The child-rearing tactics they'd read about in parenting manuals or learned from their own parents were useless. Anyway, how do you punish someone who's already so miserable? Every Parent Should Read This Book is a field guide for confused parents who are currently custodians of any teenager who's feeling lost, alone, depressed or horny. I'm not an expert, a psychologist, or even a particularly good person, but I do understand the unique kinds of troubles that come with trying to grow up in the current climate, and I wanted to share what would have helped me, my friends, and everyone else I spoke to while writing this book. It might be hard to read what I write about self-harming, body piercings, gender confusion, drugs and social media angst. It might involve unpleasant surprises and be occasionally disgusting, but it could also help you to understand and support your kids. They won't thank you, but they might hate you less."- Ben Brooks

Drawing on his own experiences growing up and from researching for the bestselling Dare to Be Different books, Ben Brooks reminds children that heroes aren't always the wall-climbing, cape-wearing, villain-fighters we see in comics and films. Ordinary people can be heroes too - you just need to find your own superpower!

Join the adventure. Break the curse. Find your way home. A magical new adventure from the bestselling author of THE IMPOSSIBLE BOY. Victor is skeptical when Walter Swizwit comes to the village of Rainwater. He's the latest in a string of inventors passing through, and no one wants to buy his cheap magic tricks. But Walter doesn't take rejection well, and puts a curse on the village. Only Victor is unaffected and he must leave Rainwater for the first time in his life if he's to find the cure. Victor's path takes him past other villages that Walter has damaged, and he picks up new companions on the way: Elena, handy with bow and arrow, Mo-Lan, a science prodigy, and scaredy-cat Mingus. It's soon clear that they underestimated Walter's power. Only he has the cure for his magic and he's locked away in his castle a thousand leagues away. But he's not the only inventor out there... If Victor and his friends can get someone more powerful on their side, maybe they can win: find Walter, break the curse and return as heroes. After all, there's no place like home...

Boys can be anything they want to be In this sequel to the New York Times bestseller Stories for Boys Who Dare to Be Different, Ben Brooks introduces seventy-six more boys and men who will inspire young readers to live boldly and true to themselves. What do environmental activist Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, philosopher Socrates, and singer Ed Sheeran all have in common? Each of them defied expectations -- going against the grain and pursuing their dreams despite a seemingly impossible barrage of obstacles and difficulties. Their stories are incredible, as are those of tap dancer Evan Ruggiero, Pok mon creator Satoshi Tajiri, the brave Chernobyl Divers, and the other inspirational boys who fill the pages of this extraordinary book. Together, their stories offer young boys the welcome alternative message that masculinity can mean many things -- that it's okay to be sensitive, to be bold, and to follow their hearts.