Hilariously touching and outrageously unforgettable: Mark Haddon’s Christopher Boone meets Holden Caulfield on one *#@! of a journey . . .

Shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal 2015 Hilariously touching and outrageously unforgettable: Mark Haddon’s Christopher Boone meets Holden Caulfield on one *#@! of a journey. . . Dylan Mint has Tourette’s. Being sixteen is hard enough, but Dylan’s life is a constant battle to keep the bad stuff in – the swearing, the tics, the howling dog that seems to escape whenever he gets stressed... But a routine visit to the hospital changes everything. Overhearing a hushed conversation between the doctor and his mother, Dylan discovers that he’s going to die next March. So he grants himself three parting wishes or ‘Cool Things To Do Before I Cack It’. But as Dylan sets out to make his wishes come true, he discovers that nothing – and no-one – is quite as he had previously supposed.

"I loved Dylan Mint. He made me laugh out loud and his tenacity had me rooting for him from the first page" - Stephen Kelman

"It’s the F-word – funny, foul-mouthed, fantastic!" - Charlie Higson

"So surprising and charming it would be hard not to feel a little uplifted" - Observer

"Beautifully observed and hilariously uncomfortable ... Mint has a certain charm, and his mangled language and omnivorous approach to slang suggest a lively, inquiring brain" - Philip Womack, Guardian

"Energetic, confident and compassionate ... There’s a genuine exuberance about it ... [Conaghan] is one to watch" - Scotland on Sunday

"Entertaining" - Big Issue

"One of the book’s most engaging characteristics, its often hilarious (and often scatological) humour … This is a portrayal of young male bonding, complete with all the lively banter of true camaraderie, at its most tender and affectionate" - Irish Times

"Hilarious" - Stylist