All the Things That Could Go Wrong

Product Information

It’s amazing! Such a bold idea to have a character like Dan… you pulled it off brilliantly.’ Ross Welford, author of Time Travelling with a Hamster

all the things that could go wrong - Album by Johnny Orlando all the things that could go wrong - Album by Johnny Orlando

Now let me introduce Dan. Things aren’t easy for Dan either. His brother has left and everything has changed. His only option is to take out his frustrations on easy targets such as Alex. Both boys’ are tested when their mothers, oblivious to the tensions at school, arrange for the boys to meet up at weekends. The bullies have attempted to dunk his head down the toilet, called him names, thrown his schoolbooks in a puddle, thrown his trainers over a telephone wire, left him in an empty cave in the middle of nowhere, and spat on him. Alex is terrified and spends his days trying to avoid them, but knows they’ll get him again tomorrow.Dan! Dan!’ I feel a nudge in my ribs. Sophie’s grinning at me. Her teeth and her blonde hair have been turned purple by the lights. ‘This is boring,’ she whispers. ‘Let’s go to the souvenir shop.’ Not only do we have the pleasure of reading about family life, but also the most precious friendship between two boys. I feel like this is a very overlooked aspect in modern literature so it was excellent to see. Dan and Alex are very different people but the way they interact is amazing. Especially since Dan is one of the main bullies of Alex, having this pressure on them only added to the intrigue.

all the things that could go Johnny Orlando on DEBUT Album ‘all the things that could go

As the story unravels, so do the boys’ personalities. It soon becomes clear that Dan isn’t just a stereotypical bully. We learn more about his inner feelings and soon begin to empathize with him. He may have a hard exterior, but underneath there is a boy crying out for help. Add to this the fact that Dan has to juggle different personalities when in different company and you end up with a highly complex character. If I’m honest, I found myself preferring Dan as a character due to that depth of personality. If you are a fan of this movie, read the book. If you haven't seen the movie, read the book AND see the movie. Both are truly fantastic.With a forward plot through the two main characters' perspectives, the stories in this book try to explore how pre-teens face life's problems that they have to find solutions for on their own. Alex’s OCD has been getting increasingly worse, meaning that it’s hard for him to leave the house in the morning even without the bullies waiting for him at school.

All The Things Resources | Stewart Foster Author

Rich and strange (and kitted out with an eye-catching cover), but stronger in the set pieces than the internal logic. When we’re worried about what could go wrong, the things that worry us most are those we have no control over. Usually, the only things you can control are your actions, your thoughts, and your own words. If you’re worried about money, start squirreling away a rainy-day fund. If you’re concerned about losing your job, clean up your resume and have it ready to send out to places you’re qualified for. These are the things you can control in your life, so take control! 2. Write a list of all the things you’re afraid of A moving, humane, funny portrait of two very different boys discovering what connects us all' Kiran Milwood Hargrave, author of The Girl of Ink and Stars

More Reading

Deeply moving and utterly gripping . . . Stewart Foster carries off an astonishing feat of storytelling in this exceptional book' Julia Eccleshare, lovereading.co.uk

All The Things That Could Go Wrong (Paperback) - Waterstones

That’s not to say there is anything wrong with the portrayal of Alex. In fact, Stewart Foster has depicted Alex’s struggles skillfully. By writing in the first person, the reader is invited into Alex’s confused mind. We see his internal struggle laid bare, realizing how debilitating his condition can be. It is a highly accomplished piece of characterisation. The actual plot line of Alex helping Dan with the raft took about one third of the book to get to, however, I really felt like that first third really helped to build the characters up and their relationships with each other, and show the extent of the bullying before diving in to Alex helping with the raft. It was definitely not boring in any way and I think it was rather important it was done this way.

About Stewart Foster

This may seem counterproductive, but trust me on this one. When you imagine all of the things that could go wrong, they don’t seem very concrete. That is to say this. They’re much scarier in your head than they are. At the end of the story, I could not help but scream "aww." Dan and Alex were the two people that you would never expect to ever become friends, but Dan finally learned the right from the wrong and befriended Alex. The idea of their friendship blossoming from the raft Shooting Star was such a good symbol of the novel. In the end, Alex, Dan, and Ben ventures on Shooting Star, which to me represents that their friendship took time, hard work, effort, and understanding, but at the end, it turned out to be a great adventure of friendship.