Melvin Burgess: 25 years of Junk
To mark the publication of Three Bullets and the 25th anniversary of Junk
This event is now available to watch on demand until 22nd July.
If you have any questions, please email [email protected]
Melvin Burgess is seen as the ‘godfather’ of young adult fiction. His book Junk was revolutionary and won the Carnegie Medal and the Guardian Fiction Prize. The Guardian maintain that ‘Junk remains the best book about teenagers and drugs to this day’.
Now, join Melvin to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the book he wished he’d had when he was 15 years old’ and his hard-hitting new dystopian YA novel, Three Bullets.
The Bloods are in control and they’re desperate to turn Britain into the world they want to see:
Right, white, Christian supremist.
Anyone who they call abnormal is a target. Amidst the chaos of civil war the country is on the move as small militia groups fight each other and a sea of refugees escapes the cities and the pursuing Bloods.
When her home is destroyed in a bombing raid, Marti must strike out on a mission of her own - to save her father and get his vital software into the right hands. But she represents everything The Bloods hate. Crossing into enemy territory could prove suicidal. Yet Marti’s enemies haven’t reckoned with her indomitable will to survive - and the gun she carries, which has three bullets...
In conversation for this exclusive event, Melvin will share the inspiration behind his two novels, their similarities and their differences, and why its so important to write authentically about ‘taboo’ subjects in books that are aimed at young adults.
Don’t miss the opportunity to spend an evening with one of the best writers in contemporary children’s literature.
‘Melvin Burgess is one of the founding fathers of modern teen fiction’ - Juno Dawson