Review: Waiting for Gonzo, by Dave Cousins

Adult(ish) review

I'll admit it up front: I'm a big Dave Cousins fan. His debut, Fifteen Days Without a Head, was stunning. Gritty, dark and honest, not to mention the brilliance of the title. And it's just won the SCBWI Crystal Kite Award for Europe, so I'm feeling pretty smug sat up on my high horse right now.

Waiting for Gonzo is different. The grittiness is gone, replaced by funny. As you watch Oz's world deteriorate following one (usually Oz-driven) catastrophe after another, you can't help but smile along with fearing for him, because Oz is a real teenager, doing all the real things teenagers do. He sees a photo on a wall at school, and the next thing he knows, he's drawing a moustache on it. From then on in, Oz's world tumbles.

The honesty of Dave Cousins' writing remains. He has a fantastic touch when it comes to relationships, and in Gonzo, those relationships are constantly being tested. There's his mum and dad, who have just forced Oz to relocate to the middle of nowhere, away from his friends and city life. There's his sister, who... well, that would be giving things away, wouldn't it? And then there are the people Oz meets at his new school, who are as varied and unpredictable as you can imagine, from a boy who dresses as a Hobbit in his spare time to the girl who starts appearing more and more in Oz's like after he adds a certain moustache to her photo.

What? Do I have something on my face?

This is an easy book to read, because it involves you so quickly. Oz himself is hot-headed, eager to be accepted, but ultimately he wants to do right by people. Watching him feel his way forwards through disaster after disaster is as captivating as it is fun.

And guess what? Like Fifteen Days Without a Head, Waiting for Gonzo is simply stunning.

Teen review, by Emily, age 15

This is a light-hearted and easy to read book about the trials and tribulations of a city boy, moving to what he views as a very strange and small countryside community. I thought that the slightly more unique way of writing, where the book is written for someone, ‘G’, is very interesting and enjoyable to read. Part of the enjoyment is in trying to work out who ‘G’ is, and also what the developing countdown in the narration is leading up to.

Although this sounds as though it was essentially a carefree book, it does in fact deal with some difficult issues: the book deals with these in a mature and sensitive manner. I enjoyed the book, and I think the ideal reader age would be perhaps 10+ as the language is not too advanced for younger readers but still engaging.

There are only 3 days left to enter our Gonzo giveaway! Just send us an email at SpaceOnTheBookshelf@yahoo.com with your name and address, and 'Gonzo' in the header. The winner will be drawn on Friday 10th May.

Editor Interview: Claire Westwood from OUP on Waiting for Gonzo by Dave Cousins

Claire Westwood is an Editorial Assistant at Oxford University Press. Previously, she worked as part of the editing team at Taylor & Francis. Here, she talks about her love of children's books, and working on Waiting for Gonzo...

What was your favourite children's book as a child? 

Ooh, that’s a really tricky one! I’ve always been a bit of a bookworm and picking just one book from my childhood is impossible. Having said that, I devoured pretty much everything by Roald Dahl, and of all his wonderful books, Matilda was a particular favourite of mine.

Miss Trunchbull is definitely one of literature’s all-time best baddies, and the bit where Bruce Bogtrotter succeeds in eating the entire chocolate cake still makes me wants to punch the air with elation. I saw the musical version of Matilda at the theatre recently and I think I actually did punch the air at that point! 

What is your favourite children's book as an adult?

Again, that’s almost impossible to answer. My favourites are constantly changing depending on what I’ve read recently. I read Wonder by R.J. Palacio last month and it left me on such an amazing emotional high that when I finished the last page I quickly turned back to page one and read the whole thing again! I’m also a huge Harry Potter fan and have lost count of the number of times I’ve got into arguments with people who say they don’t like it. Usually it’s because they’ve only just seen the films, and I have to resist the urge to become overly zealous about how much better the books are!

What do you think makes children's books so inspirational?

I think it could be something to do with the fact that when you read them, you’re still forming a sense of who you are as a person, and so the books you read as a child have a massive impact on the sort of person you end up becoming. 

I know from my own experience of the characters who really inspired me— characters like Pippi Longstocking, Jo from Little Women, and Georgia Nicholson in the books by Louise Rennison– who made me think, ‘Wow, they’re awesome—I want to be just like them!’

What do you love about Waiting for Gonzo, and what makes it stand out?

From the first few pages I just fell in love with the main character Oz. He’s a bit of an idiot to be honest; he’s always putting his foot in it and makes some very bad decisions along the way, but he’s a good egg really and you can’t help rooting for him in spite of everything.

I think that’s one of the main strengths of Dave’s writing: he can make you care deeply about the characters in his books, and you just have to keep on reading to find out what happens to them next. 

The other thing that makes Waiting for Gonzo stand out is how funny it is. There are loads of laugh-out-loud moments—many of them involving Ryan – Oz’s friend who likes to dress up as a hobbit!

What made you want to work in children's publishing?

Well I’ve always loved reading children’s books and this way I get to do it every day and get paid for it! It’s a win-win situation, really. Is editing a debut author any different than editing an established author? Well sort of yes and no. In my experience every author is different and has his or her own individual way of working. I think one of our main jobs as editors is to understand that and adapt our editing style to suit the author.

Don't forget - if you want to win a signed copy of Waiting for Gonzo, just email us at SPACEONTHEBOOKSHELF@YAHOO.COM with your name and address! Competition closes on Friday 10th May.

Author Interview: Dave Cousins, Waiting for Gonzo

The book up for review this month is Waiting for Gonzo, by Dave Cousins. We loved Dave's debut, Fifteen Days Without A Head, which has just won the Crystal Kite Award for Europe! Over the next few days, you can catch up on all things Gonzo, with an interview with the book's editor, a Spotlight on Writing feature, and two book reviews - one from us, and one from 15 year-old Emily. If you want to find out more about Dave, you can also find him at www.davecousins.net.

To kick things off though, a few words from the man of the hour himself...

Dave Cousins hard at work on his Acme Machine...

What was your favourite children’s book as a child? 

The Machine-Gunners by Robert Westall. If there’s one book that made me want to write, this is it. I loved this book from the moment I first picked it up, aged eleven. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve read it since. Even though it was published in the early seventies, the quality of the writing and storytelling means it still feels as fresh and exciting as ever.

What is your favourite children’s book as an adult? 

Difficult question! There have been so many great books published in recent years it’s impossible to choose just one. I recently enjoyed Daylight Saving by Edward Hogan and Grounded by Sheena Wilkinson. I was lucky enough to get an early copy of Sara Grant’s Half Lives, which is brilliant, and I’m really enjoying Slated by Teri Terry at the moment. I’m also halfway through re-reading Bryan Lee O’Malley’s superb Scott Pilgrim series of graphic novels.

What makes children’s books so inspirational? 

To keep young people reading, stories have to really engage. There’s no room for self-indulgence, clichéd characters or lack of story. Secondly, I think the teenage years are a fascinating time to write about – filled with doubt and discovery – the time when we struggle to learn who we are and find our place in the world.

Why did you start writing for children? 

Ever since I was quite young, my response to things that happened to me, or stuff I heard about, was to turn them into stories, songs or drawings. Many years later, inspired by some of the fantastic books I’d read, I decided to sit down and have a go myself! The fact that the stories I find myself writing always have a teenage character at their heart makes me suspect I’m still roughly thirteen in my head!

What made you want to write this book? 

To keep going for the length of time it takes to write a book, I have to really care about the characters and the things that are happening to them. 

Waiting for Gonzo started as one of many ideas that sat around in a notebook for years, before my narrator Oz arrived and transformed the spark into a story I wanted to tell. Once characters come to life a story gains its own momentum and I have to type fast to keep up! I knew I wanted the book (and Oz’s character) to make readers laugh, but there were also some serious things happening to the characters. Getting the right balance of humour and heart was quite a challenge.

What’s your favourite aspect of writing for children? 

Being a writer is my dream job, but one of the most rewarding aspects of writing for young people is getting the chance to meet and talk to readers.

Teenagers are too often demonized, but I’m constantly inspired by the humour, ideas and enthusiasm of the students I meet in schools. I believe that sharing stories is hugely important, and it’s great being able to play a small part in this process.

And to top it all off, you can also win a signed copy of Waiting for Gonzo! Just email us at SpaceOnTheBookshelf@yahoo.com with the name of the book in the header. The winner will be drawn on Friday 10th May - good luck!