Itch

Reviews / Votes

A great debut. You'll be itching to read more -- Anthony Horowitz Itchingham, a science-mad boy, is trying to collect examples of all the elements. He gets hold of a peculiar rock from a shadowy contact but some sinister heavies are also keen to get hold of it (and him) and he goes on the run in this gripping read * Financial Times Books of the Year * An exciting and nail-biting thriller * Booktrust * Amid the teenage intrigue and heart-in-mouth escapades there are sequin flashes of real science: reminders that physical chemistry really does make things happen -- Tim Radford * Guardian * A cracking thriller which had me seriously worried our hero might not survive the story . . . A fantastic read for 13- to 16-year-olds, I've also got some staff who would enjoy this for a bit of 'R and R' -- Rachel Ayres Nelson * The School Librarian * The story is mad and fantastical and I loved it . . . It has literally everything I love in a good book - mystery, action, adventure, genuinely engaging characters and without knowing it, I've learned stuff . . . teachers will have a field day getting kids to read this. We'll have a new generation of mad scientists on our hands. Wait, maybe I shouldn't say that? -- Liz * myfavouritebooks blog * A gripping and wholly enjoyable debut . . . I'm greatly anticipating the sequel * Daily Record * It's worth noting that ITCH is clearly the result of a man driven by a passion for his story, rather than a desire to be published. It's a genuinely thrilling and original adventure, with added sciency geek-chic . . . a great read and certainly worthy of its ISBN -- Helen Mulley * Teach Primary * Mayo balances the high-stakes plot and serious reality of radiation posioning with an underlying absurdity, particularly the over-the-top nastiness of Flowerdew and his compatriots. It's n action-packed adventure with some chuckle-worthy moments, appealing protagonists, and a premise derived from plausible scientific theory. Readers will never look at common household objects in the same way again. -- Publishers Weekly * Publishers Weekly *