Billy Elliot meets the X-Factor meets Shameless. An emotional rollercoaster of a novel for readers aged 11 to 111.

I reckon we need a plan that's so massive it'll change our lives forever . . . The first round of auditions was a bit mad. All these wannabe popstars sitting around trying to look wacky/soulful/tragic (delete as appropriate) to catch the attention of the TV cameras. At least we had a cracking back story. The story of me, Agnes, Jimmy and baby Alfie too; the tears, the tragedy, the broken homes and feuding families, the star-crossed lovers. And only some of it was made up. If I say so myself, it was genius: a sure-fire golden ticket to stratospheric stardom. Or at least that was the plan . . .

The second book from Catherine Bruton, author of We Can Be Heroes, about reaching for the stars and becoming famous from the humblest of beginnings. Sad, tender, exciting and full of the real-life grit of a broken home.

Praise for We Can Be Heroes:

`Witty, wise and compelling' - Sunday Times

`Outstanding. A big, brave debut' - The Bookseller

`Deserves high praise' - Evening Standard

This book has been graded for interest at 11+ years.

There are 496 pages in this book. This book was published 2012 by Egmont UK Ltd (eBooks) .

Catherine Bruton After graduating from the University of Oxford, Catherine Bruton began her career as an English teacher and later went on to write feature articles for The Times, among other publications. She started writing fiction while teaching at a school in Africa, inspired by the children she was working with, and the culture that surrounded her. She still teaches, and her pupils continue to be one of her main sources of inspiration. We Can Be Heroes is her first novel for Egmont. Catherine lives near Bath with her husband and two small children.