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  • Published: 1 July 2011
  • ISBN: 9781742744421
  • Imprint: Random House Australia
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 212

Tom Weekly 1: My Life and Other Stuff I Made Up




A laugh-out-loud collection of stories about a boy who can't help but stretch the truth.

"Fans of Griffiths, Gleitzman and Jennings will be thrilled to have this in their collection … What a great book." Kids Book Review


I'm Tom Weekly. This is a nail-biting - make that toe-biting - thrill ride through my life.

This is where I pour out whatever's inside my head. Like the time a bloodthirsty magpie out to get me. Or when I had to eat Vegemite off my sister's big toe. And don't forget the day I ate 67 hot dogs in ten minutes. My life gets a bit weird sometimes but that's how I roll.

Top 3 reasons to read this book:
1. Cures for nits
2. Hover underpants
3. Instructions for teleporting

**#1 Bestseller Dymocks Older Readers Chart
**Top 10 Bestseller Bookscan Children’s Fiction Chart
**Shortlisted KOALA & YABBA Kids’ Choice Awards

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Praise for Tristan Bancks:

'Reading Tristan Bancks is like jumping on a rollercoaster – fun, exciting and a bit dangerous, too. Where were books like this when I was a kid?' John Boyne, author of The Boy in The Striped Pyjamas

'A tense, hard-edged, no-holds-barred thriller.' Anthony Horowitz, author of the Alex Rider series

'A high stakes adventure that will keep you guessing and breathless until the very end.' Michael Gerard Bauer, author of Don't Call Me Ishmael
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Also by Tristan Bancks:
Scar Town
Two Wolves
The Fall
Detention
Cop and Robber
Ginger Meggs
Nit Boy
Mac Slater 1: Coolhunter
Mac Slater 2: Imaginator
Tom Weekly 1: My Life and Other Stuff I Made Up
Tom Weekly 2: My Life and Other Stuff That Went Wrong
Tom Weekly 3: My Life and Other Massive Mistakes
Tom Weekly 4: My Life and Other Exploding Chickens
Tom Weekly 5: My Life and Other Weaponised Muffins
Tom Weekly 6: My Life and Other Failed Experiments

  • Published: 1 July 2011
  • ISBN: 9781742744421
  • Imprint: Random House Australia
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 212

Other books in the series

About the authors

Tristan Bancks

Tristan Bancks tells stories for the page and screen. His books for kids and teens include Two Wolves, The Fall, Detention, the Tom Weekly series, Nit Boy and Ginger Meggs, a 100th anniversary book of short stories based on characters created by his great-great uncle, Jimmy Bancks, in 1921. Tristan's books have won and been shortlisted for many awards, including a Children's Book Council of Australia Honour Book, the Prime Minister's Literary Awards, ABIA, YABBA, KOALA, NSW Premier's Literary Awards and Queensland Literary Awards. His latest book is Cop and Robber, a tense, fast-paced crime novel with lots of laughs for age 10+.

Tristan is a writer-ambassador for literacy non-profit Room to Read. He is currently working with producers to develop a number of his books for the screen. He's excited by the future of storytelling and inspiring others to create. You can find out more about Tristan’s books, play games, watch videos, join his Young Writer's StorySchool and help him try to change the world at tristanbancks.com.

Gus Gordon

Gus Gordon is an internationally acclaimed illustrator and author. He has illustrated and written over 80 books for children. His illustrations are known for their loose and energetic line work, mixed media and humour. His writing is always anthropomorphic. He attributes this to his love of Kenneth Grahame's Wind in The Willows.
Gus's first picture book, Wendy, was a Notable Book in the 2010 Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Picture Book of the Year Awards.

His second picture book, Herman and Rosie, now published in twelve countries, has been internationally acclaimed and awarded.

Somewhere Else was published by Penguin Random House Australia in 2016 and has won many awards internationally, including a 2017 CBCA Notable book and 2017 book of the year for 5-8 year olds in the Speech Pathology book awards in Australia.

Praise for Tom Weekly 1: My Life and Other Stuff I Made Up

My Life & Other Stuff I Made Up is just SO gross! It was a toss-up between My Nan’s Tougher and Scab as to which was the most revolting story, but I think the former won . . . Tristan Bancks serves up nine weird, wacky and hilarious stories about toes, teeth, teleporters and more, which make you wonder what really goes on inside his head. Read it at your peril and chat to Tristan at tristanbancks.com.

Carol Warren, West Australian

Bancks knows what will make young readers laugh, and want more. Gus Gordon’s cartoon-like sketches, lists, random jottings, text boxes, and other interjections add to the humour. I recommend these chapter books particularly for boys who are not yet sure they love to read. But I bet any youngster will relate to Tom’s misadventures.

thebookchook.com

In this delightful and funny story, Bancks has beautifully captured the essence of boyhood. Tom is a typical 21st-century Australian schoolboy, following in the fine footsteps of Ginger Meggs. He means well, he has a great sense of humour and a brilliant imagination, but most of the time it all ends up a big mess. It's exciting, yet exhausting stuff. Best of all, it made me laugh.

Wendy Noble, Good Reading

Are you ready to laugh? Yes? Good. Because you won't be able to help yourself once you open this cover … Boys will love this book. Fans of Griffiths, Gleitzman and Jennings will be thrilled to have this book in their collection. Author Bancks doesn't skip a beat as he writes from his character Tom's perspective, and illustrator Gus Gordon adds his usual funny and clever drawings to it all. What a great book.

www.kids-bookreview.com

A sort of Aussie tall-tale version of Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2007), Bancks’ latest features stories with a high-level gross-out factor ... A good choice for kids drawn to the upside down and out-and-out disgusting.

Booklist

It’s a laugh-out-loud look at a boy’s imagination with all of the bravado and cringe-worthy moments that readers might expect. The short, easy-to-read entries are punctuated with Tom’s drawings, making this a good choice for reluctant readers. Additionally, the hybrid format, a chapter book filled with cartoon illustrations, and the humorous take on one boy’s life, make it another pick for readers looking for Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Abrams, 2007) read-alikes.

School Library Journal

Like Dahl, Bancks is passionate about inspiring a love of reading in the young by placing fun at the centre of his storytelling.

Andy Griffiths, Sydney Morning Herald

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