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  • Published: 5 February 2019
  • ISBN: 9781760147006
  • Imprint: Penguin eBooks
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 384

A Lot of Stuff Happens




A collection of four awesome Stuff Happens books in one, from some of Australia’s favourite children’s authors!

A collection of four awesome Stuff Happens books in one, from some of Australia’s favourite children’s authors, edited by Susannah McFarlane, the concept creator behind Zac Power and Go Girl!
When stuff happens to Ned, Dale, Sean and Ethan at Monvale Primary, it’s just the everyday stuff.
You know, friendships, ghost stories, the school play, disappearing hamburgers, new teachers, singing monkeys and lions, the first day at school, flags made of underwear, living up to older brothers and sisters, warring dinosaurs.
Stuff that happens all the time!

  • Published: 5 February 2019
  • ISBN: 9781760147006
  • Imprint: Penguin eBooks
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 384

About the authors

Adrian Beck

Adrian Beck writes funny, action-packed stories for kids. He is the author of the Derek Dool series, the Champion Charlies series, the Alien Zoo series and the co-author of the Little Legends series with Nicole Hayes, plus the Kick it to Nick series with AFL hall-of-famer Shane Crawford. Together with Sally Rippin, Adrian edited the Total Quack Up! and Total Quack Up Again! collections of short stories to raise money for Dymocks Children’s Charities. As well as being an author, Adrian is a TV producer and a lover of very bad dad jokes. Adrian draws on his showbiz roots to create engaging, interactive school presentations and is passionate about fostering a love of reading among the next generation.

Andrew Daddo

Andrew Daddo has managed to have a crack at just about every aspect of the entertainment industry. He’s appeared on TV and stage, presented radio programs and podcasts, and even made movies.
Best of all, Andrew is an accomplished author. He has written 25 books including picture books, chapter books, short story collections, novels and a vague biography – he’s hard to pin down. He also talks up literacy in schools.

Will Kostakis

Personally, Will Kostakis is ready to catch a ball two seconds after it’s hit him in the face. Professionally, he’s thankful he’s chosen a career that requires little (if any) coordination. After dabbling in celebrity journalism and reality TV, he now writes for young adults.

His first novel, Loathing Lola, was released when he was just nineteen, and his second, The First Third, won the 2014 Gold Inky Award. It was also shortlisted for the Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year and Prime Minister’s Literary awards.
The Sidekicks is his third novel for young adults.

Oliver Phommavanh

Oliver is a young Thai-Australian writer for children. He has featured on panels at the Sydney Writers' Festival among many other appearances at festivals and writing events as well as in blogs. He has worked as a primary school teacher and now spends his time writing and sharing his writing passion with kids and engaging them with humour. He's also a stand-up comedian and has appeared on national TV and radio as well as a number of well-known comedy venues such as the Comedy Store in Sydney. His first book for upper primary, Thai-riffic!, was published to critical acclaim, followed by Con-nerd, Punchlines, Thai-no-mite, The Other Christy, Super Con-nerd, Natural Born Loser and, most recently, Don't Follow Vee. For younger readers he wrote Ethan in the Stuff Happens series.

Praise for A Lot of Stuff Happens

Highly recommended. For a tome (thick book), thiscollection of humorous stories set in the fictitious Monvale schooland featuring overlapping characters, is a quick easy read. Fourseparate stories combine despite separate narrators. The great thingabout continuity is learning that a minor character floating in themargins of one story, like Dale the dopey nose picker, can have hisown set of challenges and strengths when it's his turn to tell hisstory. Dale plans on a loser's revenge on the popular kid during thefinale of the school play but his conscience gets the better of him.Ned overcomes the new teacher's incessant praise of his oldersiblings. Sean is the new boy desperate to make friends and prove heis responsible and Ethan learns the fine balance between fitting inand being true to his inner bookworm. Whilst Adrian Beck and Andrew Daddo aim for laughs, Will Kostakisand Oliver Phommavanh, keep pace by serving up unpredictablesituations that cause upheaval, hard choices and growth. Aptlytitled, 'a lot of stuff' is always happening! Of course it's thekind of stuff that happens to every student - changing schools,making friends, getting into trouble, school plays, group work,playground issues etc. These writers remember what it's like to beboys at school but more importantly the kind of boys whosuccessfully navigate dilemmas by focusing on character strengthsrather than stereotypical male masking behaviours. It helps that allfour authors master their realistic dialogue and inner monologues.While a potentially good read-aloud to enjoy and discusscollectively, this book will have a strong appeal to middle primarystudents - enough to warrant extra copies.

Deborah Robins, www.readplus.com.au