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kate hanney

kate hanney

About

I am a secondary English teacher in the north of England, and I have been for the last 10 years. Currently, I work in a special school, teaching teenage boys who don't attend mainstream schools. 

It is these experiences that inspired me to write 'SAFE' - the book for teenagers who don't read. Several schools have bought class sets and incorporated the novel into their curriculum, and the educational publishers, Folens, have included an extract from SAFE in an English textbook called 'Dive In!'

I have worked with many boys who have below average literacy skills and attention deficit disorders, and I have tried to write in a style that will be engaging, relevant and accessible for them, whilst also appealing to more adept readers.

Commitment

Commitment

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Description

<p>It’s hard to be committed to anyone when you don’t know whom to trust.</p><p>Alexis Toles, a former FBI agent turned undercover CIA agent, is quickly finding that out in Nancy Ann Healy’s newest political thriller, <i>Commitment</i>.</p><p>Alex embeds in a secret organization of intelligence operatives known as The Collaborative. Its partners include operatives from the CIA, National Security Agency, FBI, US Department of Defense, and an entanglement of foreign intelligence agencies.</p><p>It’s about half a year after the death of President John Merrow, a friend and someone she respected. But she remains committed to overthrowing The Collaborative as she works with a onetime adversary who believes the organization’s involved in the president’s death.</p><p>Meanwhile Alex; her wife, Cassidy O’Brien; and Cassidy’s son try hard to live as a family but must first overcome personal struggles, including a nasty custody battle with Cassidy’s ex-husband, Congressman Christopher O’Brien. The family has their own share of secrets that, if unleashed, could affect their hopes for the future.</p><p>There’s no place to turn without discovering people who are not who they claim to be. That can’t stop Alex. She must remain committed to the cause, both at home and as she works against The Collaborative.</p>

Story Behind The Book

SAFE is gritty teenage fiction. You won't find any wizards or elves or other worlds - it's set very much in this world at this time, and it deals with issues that are topical and relevant. It tells a story about Danny, a fifteen year old lad who lives on a big housing estate in Sheffield, England. Danny's used to trouble; trouble at school, trouble with his mom and trouble with the cops. But when he hits on a 'posh' girl at a party, and his home life takes a dramatic turn for the worse, Danny's left to deal with a new kind of trouble. And it's hard and it's dangerous and it messes with his head. There is some strong language in this book and that's because teenagers, generally, use some strong language. It's realism: real problems, real issues and real language. And why did I write it? Well, SAFE was written for two reasons really. Firstly, through working closely with young people I learned a lot about the different backgrounds they come from. It struck me that although we hear about 'hoodies' and 'youths' and 'teenagers' all the time in the media, the stories behind these kids often go untold. We get the headlines and we know the outcomes, but the experiences and cultures and influences that can lead to these go largely unpublished. So in the very first instance, SAFE was an attempt to inform a wider audience about how some kids live. As the book progressed however, some of the boys who I taught were kind enough to read it and give me feedback. What became clear, was that even those who were often reluctant readers and who perhaps struggled alittle with literacy, found the story accessible and engaging and easy to relate to. Parents were telling me that their teenage sons who never read anything, ever, were sitting and reading several chapters at a time without losing concentration. This of course was brilliant, and it gave me an additional motivation to get the book finished; I wanted to give reluctant readers something they might read. So that's how it came about. And I would just love for it to fulfil its purposes.

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Reviews

<span style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;line-height:normal;font-size:small;">This book is marketed as 'The book for teenagers who don't read' and it really is. Reluctant readers will be engaged by the accessible format, authentic language and fast moving plot. <br /><br />The story is about a teenager called Danny, and it deals with themes like teenage pregnancy, attitudes towards education and parenting. <br /><br />When a kid who doesn't usually read picks it up and sits completely absorbed in it, you know it's a winner. <br /><br />Original, gripping and easy to read - fantastic fiction for any teenager.</span><div><span style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;line-height:normal;font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;line-height:normal;font-size:small;">Read more reviews on </span><span style="line-height:normal;font-size:small;"><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/1849230749/ref=dp_db_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&amp;showViewpoints=1" title="Amazon reviews">Amazon</a></span></div>