Ways to Live Forever
“Powerful, inspiring and courageous … the debut of the year”
Waterstone’s
“This is an elegant, intelligent, moving and sometimes even funny book.
Young readers (and brave parents, and teachers) will love it”
Guardian
“… A Jodi Picoult for teens that pulls no punches”
Sue Steel, Simply Books
“... Wonderful. Moving and funny and, yes, sad”
Eva Ibbotson
“Heart-wrenching… an exceedingly poignant read”
Bookseller
“A deeply affecting and life-affirming read”
Nikki Gamble, Writeaway
“Sympathetic, touching and surprisingly funny … a fantastic debut”
Lovereading4kids
“Moving, tender but also deeply humorous”
The Bath Chronicle
“An excellent and moving work … beautifully done”
Irish Times
Ways to Live Forever
WINNER
Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize
Glen Dimplex New Writer of the Year
Concorde Book Award
North East Book Award
Hillingdon Secondary School Book of the Year
Warwickshire Secondary Schools Book Award
Bolton Children’s Book of the Year
Calderdale Book of the Year
Luchs Prize – Best Book of the Year (Germany)
USBBY List of Outstanding International Books (U.S.A.)
SHORTLISTED
Branford Boase Award
Manchester Book of the Year
UKLA Children’s Book Awards
Lancashire Book of the Year
Brilliant Book Award, Nottingham Libraries
Grampian Children’s Book Award
Gateshead Libraries Children’s Book Award
Mad About Books Stockport Schools' Book Award
Le Prix des Incorruptibles (France)
LONGLISTED
WHSmith Children’s Book of the Year
CILIP Carnegie Medal
Praise from readers
“The best book I have ever read”
Sarah, age 12
“Perfect from start to finish”
Phoebe
“An excellent, inspiring book”
Mark
“This is the most AMAZING book ever, both hilarious and
moving at the same time. When I got to the end I was
fighting back the tears”
Nadia
“(My 11-year-old daughter) enjoyed it so much she begged me
to read it … it is an amazing book that touched me so much”
Claire
“This is a beautiful, life affirming, funny and special book.
I laughed through the first half and cried through the next”
Hilary, age 31
“I will recommend this to anyone I can and will LOVE it forever”
Rebecca
“I can’t remember the last time I sobbed so much and when
a novel has had such a profound effect on me. I can’t wait to
loan (but not give!) this book to my friends”
Joy, age 39
To Mum and Tom,
Nicola, Carolyn and Sarah.
Thank you.
CONTENTS
List No. 1 – Five Facts About Me
Questions Nobody Answers No. 1
How Do You Know That You’ve Died?
List No. 2 – Five Facts About How I Look
List No. 3 – Things That I Want To Do
The Occasional Wardrobe Nightclub
Questions Nobody Answers No. 2
The French Spy or The Story of How I Met Felix
Why Does God Make Kids Get Ill?
Too Disturbing for Home Viewing
Questions Nobody Answers No. 3
The Story of Grandfather’s Footsteps
List No. 5 – Ways to Live Forever
Questions Nobody Answers No. 4
List No. 6 – What To Do When Someone Dies
Questions Nobody Answers No. 5
The Story of the Man Who Weighed the Human Soul
Questions Nobody Answers No. 6
Questions Nobody Answers No. 7
What Happened in the Middle of the Night
List No. 7 – Five Facts About Dad
An Advertisement for Washing Powder
List No. 8 – Fantastic Airship Facts
Questions Nobody Answers No. 8
List No. 10 – Where Do You Go After You Die?
List No. 11 – Things I Want to Happen After I’m Dead
A BOOK ABOUT US | 7th January |
Today was our first day back at school after the Christmas holidays.
We have school three days a week – on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, in the living room. There are only two pupils – me and Felix. Felix doesn’t care about learning anything.
“What’s the point of being ill if you have to do maths?” he said, the first time he came to school at my house. Mrs Willis, who’s our teacher, didn’t argue. She doesn’t fuss if Felix doesn’t do any work. She just lets him sit there, leaning back in his chair and telling me what’s wrong with whatever I’m doing.
“That’s not how you spell ammonium! We never spelt ammonium like that at my school!”
“There’s a planet called Hercules – isn’t there, Mrs Willis?”
“What’re you doing
that
for?”
Felix only comes to school to see me and to give his mum a break.
Nowadays, Mrs Willis thinks up ploys to interest him. You know the sort of thing; making volcanoes that really erupt, cooking Roman food, making fire with a magnifying glass.
Only my mum didn’t like that one, because we accidentally burnt a hole in the dining table.
Sort of accidentally-on-purpose.
Today, though, Mrs Willis said, “How about you do some writing?” and we both groaned, because we’d been hoping for more fire, or possibly an explosion. Mrs Willis said, “Oh, come on, now. I thought you might like to write something about yourselves. I know you both like reading.”
Felix looked up. He was playing with two of my Warhammer orcs, advancing them on each other and going “Grrrrah!” under his breath.
“Only ’cause there’s nothing else to do in hospital,” he said.
Me and Felix are both experts at being in hospital. That’s where we met, last year.
I didn’t see what reading had to do with writing about me and I said, “Books are just about kids saving the world or getting beaten up at school. You wouldn’t write about us.”
“Maybe not you,” said Felix. He pressed his hand to his forehead and flopped back in his chair. “The tragic story of Sam McQueen. A poor, frail child! Struggling bravely through
terrible
suffering and hospitals with no televisions!”
I made vomiting noises. Felix stretched his hand – the one that wasn’t pressed to his forehead – out to me.
“Goodbye – goodbye – dear friends—” he said, and collapsed against his chair making choking sounds.
Mrs Willis said, “No dying at the table, Felix.” But you could tell she wasn’t really angry. She said, “I’d like you both to have a go now, please. Tell me something about yourself. You don’t have to write a whole book by lunchtime.”
So that’s what we’re doing. Well, I am. Felix isn’t doing it properly. He’s written: “My name is Felix Stranger and”, and then he stopped. Mrs Willis didn’t make him write any more. But I’m on page three already.
School’s nearly over now, anyway. It’s very quiet. Mrs Willis is pretending to do her marking and really reading
70 Things To Do With Fire
under the table. Felix is leading my orcs in a stealth attack on the pot plant. Columbus, the cat, is watching with yellow eyes.
Next door, in the kitchen, Mum is stirring the soup, which is lunch. Dad is in Middlesbrough, being a solicitor. My sister Ella is at school. Real school. Thomas Street Primary.
Any minute now – there it is! There’s the doorbell. Felix’s mum is here. School is over.
