Publisher Description

Tar loves Gemma, but Gemma doesn't want to be tied down - not to anyone or anything. Gemma wants to fly. But no one can fly forever. One day, somehow, finally you have to come down. Commissioned and produced by Oxford Stage Company, Junk premiered at The Castle, Wellingborough, in January 1998 and went on to tour throughout the UK in 1998 and 1999."John Retallack's excellent adaptation of Melvin Burgess's controversial Carnegie Medal winning novel is splendidly unpatronising...a truly cautionary tale" (Independent)

Author Biography

Melvin Burgess was born in London in 1954 and was brought up in Sussex and Surrey. After leaving school at eighteen he began training as a journalist. He then had occasional jobs, mainly in the building industry. He started writing in his twenties and wrote on and off for fifteen years before having his first book The Cry of the Wolf accepted for publication by Andersen Press in 1990. He is now regarded as one of the best writers in contemporary children's literature. Burgess's books are not always easy; dealing with tough subjects such as homelessness, disability, child abuse, witchcraft and drugs. His play, Junk, won both the Carnegie Medal and the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize. He now writes full time and lives in Lancashire. He has two children, Oliver and Pearl.

Review

"John Retallack's excellent adaptation of Melvin Burgess's controversial Carnegie Medal winning novel is splendidly unpatronising...a truly cautionary tale" --Independent

Promotional

Two runaway teenagers are drawn into a web of heroin addiction and prostitution when their search for adventure takes an unfortunate turn.

Prizes

Winner of Carnegie Medal (Children's) 1996

Long Description

'Tar loves Gemma, but Gemma doesn''t want to be tied down - not to anyone or anything. Gemma wants to fly. But no one can fly forever. One day, somehow, finally you have to come down. Commissioned and produced by Oxford Stage Company, Junk premiered at The Castle, Wellingborough, in January 1998 and went on to tour throughout the UK in 1998 and 1999. ''John Retallack''s excellent adaptation of Melvin Burgess''s controversial Carnegie Medal winning novel is splendidly unpatronising.a truly cautionary tale'' (Independent)'

Review Quote

"John Retallack's excellent adaptation of Melvin Burgess's controversial Carnegie Medal winning novel is splendidly unpatronising…a truly cautionary tale"-Independent

Details