Meet Laurence, fifteen years old and six feet tall. Very soon, he'll dress up as his mum and impersonate a dead man on the radio. Meet Jay, his six year old brother. He looks like an angel but thinks he's a dog. He'll sink his teeth into anyone who gets in the way. Today is Tuesday and the next fifteen days will change the boys' lives for ever.

Fifteen-year-old Laurence Roach just wants a normal life, but it's not easy when your mum is a depressed alcoholic, and your six-year-old brother thinks he's a dog.

When Mum fails to come home one night, Laurence tells nobody, terrified he and his brother will be taken into care if anyone finds out. Instead, he attempts to keep up the pretence that Mum is still around: dressing up in her clothes to trick the neighbours and spinning an increasingly complicated tangle of lies. After two weeks on their own, running out of food and money, and with suspicious adults closing in, Laurence finally discovers what happened to his mother. And that's when the trouble

really starts . . .

A compelling thriller filled with some hilarious and surreal moments. Fifteen Days Without a Head is a tender, honest story about family, forgiveness and hope.

Praise for 15 Days Without a Head:

'This heartfelt well-told debut is a delight.'

The Sunday Times Children's Book of the Week. (1 January 2012)

'Cousins' sheer inventiveness coupled with Laurence's sparky voice, keeps the story from becoming depressing or worthy.'

'A tough, charged . . . gripping story.'

'Incredible lightness of touch and humour but also seriously weighty . . . reminded me a lot of Frank Cottrell Boyce.'

'An excellent debut. It's a tough and turbulent tale of growing up the hard way, but there's heart and soul on every page. I can't wait to see what Cousins does next.'

'Unputdownable . . . a jewel of a book.'

'Some books you read and find entertaining. And some books you read and never forget. This is one I will have in my mind for a long time.'

'I want to put this book in every teenager's hand.'