Us Minus Mum

Heather Butler's debut novel tackles a difficult subject with sensitivity, a lack of mawkishness, and numerous fart jokes . . . the depiction of George's unfolding emotional state - anger, guilt, fear - is believable and beautifully done * The Financial Times * Us Minus Mum is a perfectly-judged, wonderfully-observed story of coming to terms with the loss of a parent and coping with grief. It's also a funny and delightful portrait of a family that is probably different from your family, but just like it, too. I loved it and heartily recommend it to every single reader of 9 and up. * The Bookbag * . . . brilliant characters, plenty of action, snappy dialogue . . . It's heartbreaking, yes - but uplifting and enlightening, too. * Teach Primary * [T]his is such a skilfully told and often hilarious story, which captures the very essence of a ten year old boy in George the narrator. . . . [T]he author, who has written on bereavement counselling, does not put a foot wrong in showing us, with incredible pathos and sincerity, what it is really like for young children to not be told the truth and how families can help each other through impossibly difficult circumstances. Wonderfully observed, funny and touching, this little gem will strike a real chord with readers of all ages. -- Joy Court * Reading Zone *

Heather grew up in a vicarage, which meant her life was filled with a tapestry of random and interesting characters. But what influenced her most was her mum, who could create stories from thin air. Heather trained as a primary teacher and taught until her sons were born. They often brought toys and other objects to her to be included in bedtime stories. Her sons grew older, but Heather carried on creating, her first children's story book being published in 1996. She later wrote resources for teachers, was writer-in-residence at several schools and lead whole school story writing workshops across the UK. She discussed her book Helping Children Think About Bereavement (Routledge 2013) on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour just as Us Minus Mum was accepted for publication. It marks a return to writing fiction and is her first book with Little, Brown.