When I got near to Florida she spread out her arms and grinned at me. I couldn't figure out what she was doing but then she hissed, 'Photo. Take photos. With your phone. It's what dad's do.' Cottrell-Boyce has won two major British awards for children's books, the 2004 Carnegie Medal for Millions, which originated as a film script, and the 2012 Guardian Prize for The Unforgotten Coat, which was commissioned by a charity. [3] [4] Personal life [ edit ] On winning the prize Frank Cottrell-Boyce said: “It would be amazing to win this award with any book I'd written but it is a special joy to win it with The Unforgotten Coat, which started life not as a published book at all, but as a gift. Walker gave away thousands of copies in Liverpool - on buses, at ferry terminals, through schools, prisons and hospitals - to help promote the mighty Reader Organisation. We even had the book launch on a train. The photographs in the book, were created by my friends and neighbours - Carl Hunter and Claire Heaney. The story was based on a real incident in a school in Bootle. So everything about it comes from very close to home - even though it's a story about Xanadu! There are a number of elements that Frank Cottrell Boyce deftly combines to make COSMIC one of the funniest books I've read this year: Truthful Tales: Write a short story about a character who faces a tough choice between telling the truth and telling a lie. What decision does the character make and what happens as a result? Do they get themselves into trouble?

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Oh yes. Liam's voice is wonderfully wry and hilarious, and he also coined a word that's going into my vocabulary: dadliness. The quality or attributes of being a dad. What does a dad do? He gets you out of a tight spot, and then glares at you disapprovingly until you learn your lesson. He calls you "princess" and remembers your birthday. He pushes you to succeed. He'll do anything to save you.And he repeatedly sets up the punch line: "'But...well, you should have more sense, a big lad like you.'"

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Dawtrey, Adam. "Phantom scribe gets BIFA nom". Variety. Archived from the original on 28 June 2006 . Retrieved 29 July 2012.Twelve year-old Liam is, indeed a big lad -- and one who has now begun to shave. But he is still a twelve year-old and, in a manner reminiscent of Josh Baskin (Tom Hanks' character in the movie Big), we repeatedly experience Liam's being thrust into the role of an adult who frequently has more of a child-like spirit than any of the "normal" kids around him.

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After all, Boyce is a funny writer. He knows how to craft a good line. Example A: “I don’t think the world has vanished. But it is worrying not being able to see it. After all, Earth is where I keep all my stuff.” When Liam’s dad tells him to get a friend who’s not an online companion his argument is, “You need a friend who is visible to the naked eye.” And Boyce is the master of funny (and always pertinent) chapter headings like “The Ice-Cream Man of the Gobi Desert”. Being shortlisted for the Guardian Prize gives you a particularly warm glow because it is awarded by a panel of your fellow authors. Past winners include my childhood heroes - Alan Garner, Leon Garfield, Joan Aiken - and contemporary heroes like Mark Haddon, Geraldine McCaughrean and Meg Rosoff.” Finally, Cosmic is a story with a heart. All of the main characters, but especially Liam and Florida, learn what "dadliness" is really all about. In a way, this book is like a laugh-out-loud love letter to dads.Florida Kirby reminded me a little too much of, well, me. She may not know anything about gravity or outer space, but she knows every single celebrity, who they're married to, and how they became famous. Her primary goal in life is to become famous herself, and playing the role of Liam's daughter (yes, they're the same age!) just might get her there. Boyce did a masterful job of allowing Florida to evolve over the course of the story. She could have easily remained a shallow fame-seeker, but as the story progresses the reader gets to see more and more of Florida's heart and internal motivation. In case you couldn't tell, she's my favorite. a b Martin Wainwright (18 June 2012). "Cosmic professor". The Guardian. London . Retrieved 29 July 2012.