Up on Cloud Nine [Paperback]

Anne Fine's Up On Cloud Nine is possibly one of the best books you will ever read. Character-led, beautifully crafted, uplifting and life-affirming, Fine's masterpiece tells the story of a deep friendship between two boys, Stolly and Ian. The pair are introduced to the reader at the point where the accident-prone Stolly is lying unconscious in a hospital bed having survived a rather spectacular plummet to the ground from a very high window.

As the pair are caught in the sterile time-warp of the hospital, waiting for the arrival of their respective parents, Ian contemplates Stolly's life: a Walter Mitty character who insists he is not a liar but a fantasist, who unflinchingly speaks as he finds and is blessed with a mind and imagination so receptive to experience that occasionally his words and actions are shocking to those around him.

As the waiting continues Ian, circled by a social worker who is concerned at the alarming regularity of Stolly's hospital visits, pieces together the good, the funny, the bad and the downright ugly, compiling a comprehensive biography that ultimately leads him to believe that his remarkable friend's accident may not have been an accident at all.

Anne Fine is certainly on form in this extraordinary, unforgettable novel--the lady rarely disappoints, with sure-fire winners such as Goggle Eyes, Flour Babies and Madame Doubtfire enticing new generations of readers into her world. But with Up On Cloud Nine she really hits the spot with a sublime, involving novel that is a deceptively quick and simple read, yet contains all the hallmarks of a classic work of fiction. It may sound overdramatic, but everyone--and that includes adults--should read this to remind themselves that a really good book can lift the spirits and leave you with seriously rosy glow. Age 9 and over. Susan Harrison --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

'A children's writer of rare gifts' TIMES EDUCATIONAL SUPPLEMENT * 'When it comes to innovative writing, Ann Fine leads the pack' BOOKLIST * 'A writer of great originalit. Anne Fine's books are a delight to read' CHILDREN'S FICTION SOURCEBOOK --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

This is a powerful read that lingers long after the last page is read. Don't miss it. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

How stupid do you have to be to fall out of a top-floor window? Or was Stolly trying something else - up on cloud nine even then? Stolly's always been so alive, so inspiring, taking risks, hiding nothing, notorious for being the school's most imaginative liar (or fantasist, as he calls it). But now, he's lying in a hospital bed, and Ian, his best friend who's as close as a brother, is watching, waiting and remembering...A characteristically funny, moving, life-affirming novel about a remarkable character and the truly inspirational effect he has on everyone he meets, from the 2001-2003 Children's Laureate, multi-award-winning author, Anne Fine.

How stupid do you have to be to fall out of a top-floor window?

Or was Stolly trying something else - up on cloud nine, even then? For Stolly - so alive always - is lying in a hospital bed and Ian, his best friend, is watching, waiting and remembering...

A characteristically funny, moving, life-affirming novel about a most remarkable character and the truly inspirational effect he has on everyone he meets.

From multi-award-winning author Anne Fine, the 2001-3 Children's Laureate.

'A wonderfully funny and perceptive glimpse of the inner lives of boys' GUARDIAN
'Intelligent, funny and true' THE TIMES

Anne Fine:
Anne Fine is also a distinguished writer for young people, and has won the Carnegie Medal twice, the Whitbread Children's Award twice, the Guardian Children's Literature Award and a Smarties Prize. An adaptation of her novel Goggle-Eyes has been shown by the BBC, and Twentieth-Century Fox filmed her novel Madame Doubtfire as Mrs Doubtfire, starring Robin Williams. Her books have been translated into twenty-six languages. Anne Fine has two grown-up daughters and lives in County Durham.