The Last Leg

A fast-paced and emotive adventure story.

Richard Kidd's first novel, THE GIANT GOLDFISH ROBBERY (Corgi Yearling), was very well received and shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award for first novels. Richard has previously also written picture books, including ALMOST FAMOUS DAISY, which was shortlisted for the Mother Goose Award. 
 
Richard Kidd was formerly a full-time artist and still occasionally finds time to create arresting large abstract paintings.

When Claude goes to the Isle of Skye for a quiet holiday with his dad and aunt, all recuperating from the recent death of his mother, he expects his only adventures to be in his active imagination. However, having been befriended by Roddy, an old fisherman, Claude is amazed to see what look like hundreds of body parts being washed up on the beach. On closer examination, these turn out to be shop-window dummies and a curious attraction leads Roddy to keep one of the heads as a souvenir. But Roddy's harmless pilfering surely shouldn't attract the attentions of two very dangerous-looking men from Italy, who mysteriously appear on Skye? A fantastic mystery story, which moves from Scotland to Italy, and will grip the reader all the way.

Deadly Famous

Another thrilling mystery from the author of The Giant Goldfish Robbery.

Do you have to be dead to be famous? 
 
Stanley Buckle is a quiet sort of boy. Since his dad died, his closest friend has been Neville, an artist who lives in an old mill with a one-eared cat called Vincent. Then Neville mysteriously vanishes in a terrible flood. As the story of Neville's disappearance spreads, the price of his paintings rockets. Stanley is shocked to discover that Neville's work is worth more when he's dead than when he's alive. Then Stanley discovers something even more astounding - something that is to lead him into the most dangerous adventure of his life. 
 
Set partly in rural England and partly in the Scottish isles in the 1960s, this is a very special adventure tale with an original emotional edge.

Richard Kidd

Jimmy's dad has to get rid of his fishing boat and the whole family - Mam, Dad, Jimmy and his tealeaf-reading Gran - are forced to move away from their coastal village home. At first, Jimmy thinks none of them will never get used to living inland and it will be a disaster, but Gran's tea leaves tell a stranger story than that... 
 
Jimmy's continued fascination with all things aquatic leads him to meet the local retired Major, whose hobby is keeping a pond full of valuable koi carp. When Jimmy inadvertently overhears of a plot to steal the fish, he doesn't mean to tackle the burglars single-handedly. But neither does he really intend to do it with the help of the awful school bully... or of several hundred alarm clocks...! 
 
A truly entertaining, pacy adventure story, which boys will especially love.

Richard Kidd

Books by Richard Kidd

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