Ellis is annoying Isla… but suddenly he isn’t there…

Oscar’s written what he thinks about everyone… and left the paper in a library book…

Fletcher becomes a hero to Suzie… Tessa takes action when her school bans hugging…

Holly Class wind up Pine Class on Transition Day…

Paul really doesn’t want to go to big school…

Myra hates her new school… until she meets Shane…

And more…

A brand-new collection of short stories from award-winning children’s and YA author Rob Keeley.

Includes Guess What? – shortlisted for Best Short Story 2022 at the Searchlight Writing for Children Awards – and two new Liam and Justin stories. Suitable for the 8-12s, and with primary and secondary school stories, this collection is fast, funny and packed with twists and turns.

The Boy Who Disappeared and Other Stories is the latest children’s book by author Rob Keeley. As you may have guessed from the title, this book is a collection of short stories. There are eleven of them all featuring the themes of school and friendship, perfect for middle-grade readers.

My favourite was the second in the collection, Hold the Front Page about a young boy who is made to read and write a review of a book but instead, he decides to review his teacher, classmates, and sister as he doesn’t particularly like them. He then loses his review and panics it will fall into the wrong hands. It is really quite amusing.

Although Hold the Front Page was my overall favourite I can honestly say that they were all great reads and I’m sure the young readers will be able to see themselves or their friends in the stories as they are definitely relatable and most of them are quite humorous too.

The Boy Who Disappeared and Other Stories is a lovely collection of tales that is bang up-to-date and the reader can choose to dip into it whenever they have a few minutes spare or read it in one sitting. Whichever way they choose I can assure them that they will be getting a fabulous and engaging read that will make them think and put a smile on their faces.

I’ve been writing stories and plays since I was a kid and I used to lie on the hearthrug and write with a smudgy pen and do all the pictures myself in felt tip, before stapling all the pages together (but hopefully not to the rug). Fortunately, Troubador Publishing knows much better ways of putting a book together and in March 2011 they published my first book, which is The Alien in the Garage and Other Stories, a book of short stories for children.

I have now published eleven books for children and they have been honoured with a win at the Georgina Hawtrey-Woore Awards and have been longlisted for the inaugural Bath Children’s Novel Award and the International Rubery Book Award, Highly Commended for the Independent Author Book Award and nominated for the People’s Book Prize. My first novel for adults, a murder mystery called Death At Friar’s Inn, was published in 2022.