The Book of Legends: A hilarious and fast-paced quest adventure from bestselling comedian Lenny Henry

Product Information

Lenny is a strong advocate for diversity, is the author of The Boy With Wings , and has co-written the book Access All Areas: The Diversity Manifesto for TV and Beyond . A superbly fun and witty story about stories and storytelling with wonderfully diverse representation - Twins Bran and Fran attend a British Sign Language school; Bran is deaf. The children find themselves left with eccentric local bookseller Madge as a guardian and their mother’s book of fantastical tales for comfort, unsure what to do next. I really do admire the children's bravery and was happy to find out what really happened to their parents!

But when their mum’s treasured storybook turns out to be a portal to another world full of mythical legends, everything changes. Both kids use jokes, humour and storytelling to help them deal with the grief of losing their father the year before. Lenny is a strong advocate for diversity, using his voice to give talks on the subject all over the world. Henry studied for an MA at Royal Holloway, University of London in screenwriting for television and film, where he received a distinction and where he is now studying for a PhD on the role of black people in the media.A] celebration of the vitality of storytelling, The Book of Legends made me laugh, made me teary, left me happy and hopeful.

While intended for readers aged 8 and older, I feel that like many Middle Grade books it will appeal to readers of all ages. In his drive for greater inclusivity, the author was inspired to learn sign language himself and to feature a deaf character in the form of Bran.Max is sure that the new wind turbines on his island are sinister, but will anyone listen to a frustrated deaf schoolboy? The show featured stand up, spoofs like his send up of Michael Jackson's Thriller video, and many of the characters he had developed during Summer Season, including Theophilus P. Henry was made a CBE in the New Years Honours list in 1998 for his services to comedy drama and Comic Relief. But four years on, history repeats itself when Mum disappears in similar circumstances, apparently taken by a fork of lightning. Wildebeeste (a homage to Teddy Pendergrass using the 'TP' initials), Brixton pirate radio disc jockey DJ Delbert Wilkins and Trevor MacDoughnut (a parody of Trevor McDonald).