Being Billy is the award-winning first novel by Phil Earle. ***Heroic, Phil Earle's hugely anticipated third novel is out on 24 April 2013***Faces flashed before my eyes. And for every face there was a time that they had let me down. Each punch that landed was revenge, my chance to tell them I hadn't forgotten what they did.Eight years in a care home makes Billy Finn a professional lifer. And Billy's angry - with the system, the social workers, and the mother that gave him away.As far as Billy's concerned, he's on his own. His little brother and sister keep him going, though they can't keep him out of trouble. But he isn't being difficult on purpose. Billy's just being Billy. He can't be anything else. Can he?'Phil Earle writes starkly but sensitively about damaged children in this brilliant page-turning novel. It moved me to tears' - Jacqueline Wilson 'Being Billy was a total page-turner - authentic and gritty. Billy's voice doesn't falter . . . spiky, brave and compassionate' - Jenny Downham, author of Before I Die'Moving and powerful, I loved it' - Sophie McKenziePhil Earle was born, raised and schooled in Hull. His first job was as a care worker in a children's home, an experience that influenced the ideas behind Being Billy. He then trained as a drama therapist and worked in a therapeutic community in south London, caring for traumatized and abused adolescents.After a couple of years in the care sector, Phil chose the more sedate lifestyle of a bookseller, and now works in children's publishing. Phil lives in south-east London with his wife and children, but Hull will always be home.

 

 

This book is the winner of numerous awards

This book has been graded for interest at 13-16 years.

There are 272 pages in this book.

It is aimed at Young Adult readers. The term Young Adult (YA) is used for books which have the following characteristics: (1) aimed at ages 12-18 years, US grades 7-12, UK school years 8-15, (2) around 50-75k words long, (3) main character is aged 12-18 years, (4) topics include self-reflection, internal conflict vs external, analyzing life and its meaning, (5) point of view is often in the first person, and (6) swearing, violence, romance and sexuality are allowed.

This book was published in 2011 by Penguin Random House Children's UK .

Phil Earle was born, raised and schooled in Hull. His first job was as a care worker in a children's home, an experience that influenced the ideas behind Being Billy . He then trained as a drama therapist and worked in a therapeutic community in south London, caring for traumatized and abused adolescents.