Itch

A great debut. You’ll be itching to read more – Anthony Horowitz
Itchingham, a science-mad boy, is trying to collect examples of all the elements. He gets hold of a peculiar rock from a shadowy contact but some sinister heavies are also keen to get hold of it (and him) and he goes on the run in this gripping read * Financial Times Books of the Year *
An exciting and nail-biting thriller * Booktrust *
Amid the teenage intrigue and heart-in-mouth escapades there are sequin flashes of real science: reminders that physical chemistry really does make things happen – Tim Radford * Guardian *
A cracking thriller which had me seriously worried our hero might not survive the story … A fantastic read for 13- to 16-year-olds, I’ve also got some staff who would enjoy this for a bit of ‘R and R’ – Rachel Ayres Nelson * The School Librarian *
The story is mad and fantastical and I loved it … It has literally everything I love in a good book - mystery, action, adventure, genuinely engaging characters and without knowing it, I’ve learned stuff … teachers will have a field day getting kids to read this. We’ll have a new generation of mad scientists on our hands. Wait, maybe I shouldn’t say that? – Liz * myfavouritebooks blog *
A gripping and wholly enjoyable debut … I’m greatly anticipating the sequel * Daily Record *
It’s worth noting that ITCH is clearly the result of a man driven by a passion for his story, rather than a desire to be published. It’s a genuinely thrilling and original adventure, with added sciency geek-chic … a great read and certainly worthy of its ISBN – Helen Mulley * Teach Primary *
Mayo balances the high-stakes plot and serious reality of radiation posioning with an underlying absurdity, particularly the over-the-top nastiness of Flowerdew and his compatriots. It’s n action-packed adventure with some chuckle-worthy moments, appealing protagonists, and a premise derived from plausible scientific theory. Readers will never look at common household objects in the same way again. – Publishers Weekly * Publishers Weekly *

Simon Mayo MBE is a writer and broadcaster. His previous books include the Sunday Times bestseller Knife Edge, Mad Blood Stirring, Blame and the Itch trilogy, filmed for TV by the ABC. He hosts Drivetime on Greatest Hits Radio and hosts the ‘The Take’ film-review podcast with Professor Mark Kermode.

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