Junk
The classic YA novel reissued for a new generation
Published on 3. April 2014
Book
Paperback/Softback
352 pages
978-1-78344-062-7 (ISBN)
Description
This 20th Anniversary edition of the classic novel comes with an introduction from former children's laureate Malorie Blackman and bonus content following its controversial history, from its writing to when it won both the Carnegie Medal and the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize.
It was a love story. Me, Gemma and junk. I thought it was going to last forever.
Tar loves Gemma, but Gemma doesn't want to be tied down. She wants to fly. But no one can fly forever. One day, finally, you have to come down. Melvin Burgess' most ambitious and complex novel is a vivid depiction of a group of teenagers in the grip of addiction. Told from multiple viewpoints, Junk is a powerful, unflinching novel about heroin. Once you take a hit, you will never be the same again.
It was a love story. Me, Gemma and junk. I thought it was going to last forever.
Tar loves Gemma, but Gemma doesn't want to be tied down. She wants to fly. But no one can fly forever. One day, finally, you have to come down. Melvin Burgess' most ambitious and complex novel is a vivid depiction of a group of teenagers in the grip of addiction. Told from multiple viewpoints, Junk is a powerful, unflinching novel about heroin. Once you take a hit, you will never be the same again.
Reviews / Votes
"Everyone should read Junk." * The Times * "Melvin Burgess's ground-breaking Junk remains the best book about teenagers and drugs to this day" * Julia Eccleshare, Guardian Online * "Junk has a perfect sense of time and place, characters who feel real and it may just be the best YA book ever." -- Robert Muchamore * Big Issue, Top 5 Young Adult Books * "Occasionally a 'teenage novel' comes along which makes one reconsider the whole genre and its potential. Such a book is Melvin Burgess's Junk." -- Robert Dunbar * Children's Books in Ireland * "Personally I prefer the love triangle in Melvin Burgess's Junk, in which Tar's devotion to heroin split he and Gemma apart." -- Juno Dawson * Guardian * "This book is beguiling, layered and filled with a boldness that comes with youth." * Gemma Cairney * "Brilliantly and sensitively written, it encompasses the raw, savage and ecstatic world of the adolescent mind... a superbly crafted and important book" * TES * "Beautifully written" * The Times * "Believable and rivetingly readable. I couldn't put it down." * Evening Standard * "Moving and provocative" * Observer *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Target group
Children/juvenile
Interest Age: From 13 to 17 years
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 129 mm
Thickness: 21 mm
Weight
281 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78344-062-7 (9781783440627)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Person
Melvin Burgess was born in London and brought up in Surrey and Sussex. He has had a variety of jobs before becoming a full-time writer. Before his first novel, he had short stories published and a play broadcast on Radio 4. He is now regarded as one of the best writers in contemporary children's literature, having won the Carnegie Medal and the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize for his acclaimed novel Junk.