Henry Tumour - Tapa dura

It wasn't my choice: Henry was in charge. As if school bullies and his mum's tofu sandwiches weren't enough for Hector Brunty, he now has another dilemma: a talking brain tumour. Henry Tumour turns out to be the perfect alter-ego, advising Hector on haircuts, high-fashion, and tactics for snogging the best-looking girl in school, Uma Upshaw. Controlling his speech and brain chemicals is quite enough, but soon Henry Tumour is trying to make more decisions about Hector's life than he'd like. Can Hector overpower his tumour in order to get what he really wants...before they both go under the knife?

Anthony McGowan was born in Manchester in 1965. Educated at a Catholic comprehensive, he won't say that his character's schooldays are exactly based on his own but he certainly writes from experience. Before turning to writing full-time, Anthony gained a PhD in Philosophy, worked as a nightclub bouncer, an Open University tutor, a journalist and a civil servant. He is married with two children. Henry Tumour is his second novel for teenagers, and is set in the same school as Hellbent.