Warehouse by Keith Gray

'Keith Gray is an outstanding writer for teenagers. This is strong stuff, not in any gratuitously sensational way, but because it credits his readers with an understanding of life's big issues - trust, loyalty, courage and survival.' - Lindsey Fraser - Scottish Book Trust

'Warehouse is Keith Gray on finest form, and doing what he does best: giving voices to the underdogs - Chris Wooding In a skilfully-constructed three-part narrative Keith Gray has produced a fast-paced, convincing and moving story. Warehouse deserves the widest readership.' - Alan Gibbons

'I know a place you can go' It's a secret place hidden among the run-down buildings of the derelict dockyards.

A community of young people who have gathered in an old warehouse to get away from a world they don't fit in to.

Through separate but interweaving narratives Warehouse tells the stories of three of the community's members. There's Robbie who is running away from his violent older brother, Frank, and needs some space to realise that the beatings are not his fault. Amy, who's supposed to be travelling in Europe but has had her rucksack stolen and is too proud to ask her smothering family for help. And then there's Lem, an ex-drug-addict and founder of the Warehouse community, whose perceived role as leader by the other young people is too much for him to cope with.

Warehouse is about many things. It's about the inequality of life. It's about bad luck...It's about evil people. But it's also about strength gained through loyalty and trust. It's funny, it's terrifying and it rings utterly true.

About the Author

I was brought up in Grimsby and as a child tried to avoid books. I was an eager rebel and a particularly enthusiastic pain-in-the-backside, but a reluctant reader. Teachers urged and parents moaned, but all in vain. Books were a necessary chore, like washing my dad’s car. I think everyone was surprised (even me) when I raced through Robert Westall’s The Machine Gunners from cover to cover – twice. This book was the starting point for me, making me want to write my own stories. My first book Creepers was published when I was 24 and it was shortlisted for the Guardian Fiction Award. I have since written ten books including Warehouse (also shortlisted for the Guardian Fiction Award ), Marlarkey (shortlisted for the Booktrust Teenage Prize ) and for younger readers The Runner (winner of a Smarties Silver Medal). I lectured for two years in Creative Writing at the University of Lincolnshire and Humberside, where I enjoyed working with people who shared the same interests and ambitions as I have. I now live in Edinburgh with my partner Jasmine and our parrot, Bellamy. I spend much of my time visiting schools to pass on my love of books and writing, as well as reviewing teenage fiction for the Guardian and the Scotsman.

Read an interview with Keith Gray here...