When Mr Dog Bites

Description

Shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal 2015 Hilariously touching and outrageously unforgettable: Mark Haddon's Christopher Boone meets Holden Caulfield on one *#@! of a journey. . . Dylan Mint has Tourette's. Being sixteen is hard enough, but Dylan's life is a constant battle to keep the bad stuff in - the swearing, the tics, the howling dog that seems to escape whenever he gets stressed... But a routine visit to the hospital changes everything. Overhearing a hushed conversation between the doctor and his mother, Dylan discovers that he's going to die next March. So he grants himself three parting wishes or 'Cool Things To Do Before I Cack It'. But as Dylan sets out to make his wishes come true, he discovers that nothing - and no-one - is quite as he had previously supposed.

Brian Conaghan was born in 1971. He was raised in the Scottish town of Coatbridge but now lives and works as a teacher in Dublin. He is the author of The Boy Who Made It Rain and has a Master of Letters in Creative Writing from the University of Glasgow. Over the years Brian has made his dosh as a painter and decorator, a barman, a DJ, an actor, a teacher and now a writer. He currently lives in Dublin with two beauties who hinder his writing: his wife Orla and daughter Rosie. @BrianConaghan

I loved Dylan Mint. He made me laugh out loud and his tenacity had me rooting for him from the first page * Stephen Kelman * It's the F-word - funny, foul-mouthed, fantastic! * Charlie Higson * So surprising and charming it would be hard not to feel a little uplifted * Observer * Beautifully observed and hilariously uncomfortable ... Mint has a certain charm, and his mangled language and omnivorous approach to slang suggest a lively, inquiring brain * Philip Womack, Guardian * Energetic, confident and compassionate ... There's a genuine exuberance about it ... [Conaghan] is one to watch * Scotland on Sunday * Entertaining * Big Issue * One of the book's most engaging characteristics, its often hilarious (and often scatological) humour ... This is a portrayal of young male bonding, complete with all the lively banter of true camaraderie, at its most tender and affectionate * Irish Times * Hilarious * Stylist *