The 10pm Question by Kate de Goldi

Tuesday the fourteenth of February began badly for Frankie Parsons. There was no milk for The Fat Controller, so The Fat Controller stood under the table meowing accusingly while Frankie ate his toast.

Frankie Parsons has a constant litany of worries running through his head, Are the batteries flat in the smoke detector? What is that strange rash on his chest? And why is he the only one in the family taking any of these threats seriously? The key people in his life are the most carefree of people. His mother is the only one that seems to understand him. The problem is, she is the cause of his biggest worry of all. When a new girl comes to town, determined to be friends with him, things begin to change. She relentlessly asks questions, resulting in the slow unraveling of Frankie’s tightly controlled world. Frankie’s family is charming, infuriating and full of life and you can’t help but fall in love with them. Kate de Goldi has written a warm, endearing and novel that does the rarest thing: it will appeal to people of all ages.

The 10pm Question is longlisted for the Silver Inky