The Unforgotten Coat: 1

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A Liverpool supporter, he has strong views about the findings of last month's Hillsborough report, although he has turned down requests to write about it out of deference to those writers who were there. "It's a defining event for Liverpool, in the same way that Bloody Sunday is a defining event for Derry," he says, adding that the conspiracy to blame the fans was "like John Webster, it's something from T he Duchess of Malfi". At times he seems startled by his own vehemence. "I'm really ranting here, aren't I?" he says at one point. Although he probably wouldn't say so, Cottrell Boyce is a writer with a clear moral purpose, who believes the whole point of books is to extend our imaginative reach, and give us pleasure in the process. Recently he has been reading stories by George Saunders, recommended by his adult sons, and the children's books of Rumer Godden with his youngest. "I'm on this mission to read all the books I've given people the impression that I've read or fooled myself into thinking that I have read, all the stuff I've bullshitted about, that's my mission."

It's not easy to classify Frank Cottrell Boyce. Three months ago he was the toast of the nation, as one of the key collaborators on Danny Boyle's Olympics opening ceremony, a project which included the Bond/Queen sketch. A few weeks before that the Liverpool writer, who has a PhD, delivered his inaugural lecture as professor of reading at Liverpool Hope university. His second sequel to Ian Fleming's classic children's book Chitty Chitty Bang Bangis out now and there is a third on the way. Based on a true story this is an unforgettable and moving account of one girl's vivid memories of two Mongolian brothers briefly at her school. TODAY we reveal two extracts from The Unforgotten Coat, the book written especially for The Reader Organisation’s Our Read project by Frank Cottrell Boyce.

With his brilliant depiction of two brothers from Mongolia trying to adapt to school in Liverpool while haunted by a fear from home, Frank Cottrell Boyce never preachers to the reader, and judges felt that he writes with such credibility and warmth that his readers will be left wiser when they have finished the story."

Two refugee brothers from Mongolia arrive at a school in Bootle, and the stories and experiences that they share with their new friend and guide, Julie, will change the way she sees the people and places of her childhood forever. Amnesty International UK 2019. Amnesty International UK Section Charitable Trust. A company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (03139939) and a charity registered in England and Wales (1051681) and Scotland (SC039534). Amnesty International United Kingdom Section. A company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (01735872). Registered office 17-25 New Inn Yard London EC2A 3EA. Armistice Day: A Collection of Remembrance - Spark Interest and Educate Children about Historical Moments LoveReading4Kids exists because books change lives, and buying books through LoveReading4Kids means you get to change the lives of future generations, with 25% of the cover price donated to schools in need. Join our community to get personalised book suggestions, extracts straight to your inbox, 10% off RRPs, and to change children’s lives.

Selected by a distinguished independent panel of experts including our editorial expert, Julia Eccleshare, for Diverse Voices - 50 of the best Children's Books celebrating cultural diversity in the UK.

Millionswas was later turned into a film by Danny Boyle and it features in the Book Trust’s 100 Best Books List for 9-11 year olds. Cottrell Boyce once named education secretary Michael Gove on a list of "dislikes", but generally prefers to keep Westminster at a distance. "Politics itself is so depleted, isn't it? To me it's all about seeing things I can do something about, like the Liverpool reading thing. I kind of wish I hadn't said that about Gove because I can't imagine the Labour guy is going to be that different. It's as much a New Labour thing, the measurement and statistics. If I've got a political axe to grind then it's around literacy. I think we've tragically conflated literacy and reading and that there is a whole generation now that doesn't read for pleasure.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.” Mrs Spendlove was still there, incredibly, and she recognised me right away. Thirty-four years she’s taught there. Imagine that. You can find out a bit more about him and his Chitty Chitty Bang Bang triology at uk.chittyfliesagain.com