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Trouble With Donovan Croft
Foster brothers were all right, thought Keith - he'd had them before. But how was he supposed to cope with Donovan, a West Indian boy who was so unhappy he couldn't speak?
- GenresFiction
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1974
5 people are currently reading
79 people want to read
About the author
Bernard Ashley
110 books13 followersBernard Ashley lives in Charlton, south east London, only a street or so from where he was born. He was educated at the Roan School, Blackheath and Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School, Rochester. After National Service in the RAF Bernard trained to teach at Trent Park College of Education, specializing in Drama. He followed this with an Advanced Diploma at the Cambridge Institute and has been awarded honorary Doctorates in Education by the University of Greenwich and in letters by the University of Leicester. During his career as a teacher he worked in Kent, Hertfordshire, Newham and Greenwich, with thirty years of headships in the last three.
He is now writing full time. His first novel, The Trouble with Donovan Croft (recently re-issued by OUP), was published in 1974 and won the 'Other' Award, an alternative to the Carnegie Medal (for which he has been shortlisted three times). Nineteen further novels have followed, gaining him a reputation as a 'gritty' writer in sympathy with the under dog. In Margaret Meek's view he gets inside children's heads, who say that this is what it's like for them.
Of Tiger Without Teeth Philip Pullman wrote in The Guardian:
'A commonplace setting, an everyday situation, ordinary characters. Bernard Ashley's great gift is to turn what seems to be low-key realism into something much stronger and more resonant. It has something to do with empathy, compassion, an undimmed thirst for decency and justice. In a way, Ashley is doing what ‘Play for Today’ used to do when TV was a medium that connected honestly with its own time, and what so few artists do now: using realism in the service of moral concern.'
Johnnie's Blitz (Barn Owl), drew on his wartime experiences as a child in and around London; while Little Soldier (Orchard) sums up his writing: a pacy plot with an emotional turning point, a theme that concerns him, and characters that grip as real people. It was shortlisted for the 'Guardian' young fiction prize and for the Carnegie Medal. His latest novel is Flashpoint - a thriller, the third of the Ben Maddox stories.
Bernard’s picture books include Double the Love (Carol Thompson illustrating) from Orchard, Growing Good (Bloomsbury), Cleversticks, and A Present for Paul (Harper Collins). Tamarind published The Bush, illustrated by Lynne Willey. His popular stories for young readers include Dinner Ladies Don't Count (Puffin), Justin and the Demon Drop Kick, and I'm Trying to Tell You (both Happy Cat).
Television work has included Running Scared (from which he wrote the novel), The Country Boy (BBC) and his adaptation of his own Dodgem which won the Royal Television Society award as the best children's entertainment of its year.
Stage plays are The Old Woman Who Lived in A Cola Can (Edinburgh Festival and tour), The Secret of Theodore Brown (Unicorn Theatre for Children in the West End), and Little Soldier (published by Heinemann).
A strong family man, Bernard is married to Iris Ashley, a former London headteacher, and they have three sons. Their eldest, Chris, also a headteacher, co-wrote with Bernard the TV series Three Seven Eleven (Granada), and his latest "Wasim" books were published in 2007 by Frances Lincoln. David is a London headteacher and an expert on children's reading; and Jonathan is an actor, writer and director whose writing for theatre includes Stiffs; and who was writer and voice director in Los Angeles and London on Primal and Ghosthunter for Playstation 2.
Bernard and Iris have four grandchildren, Paul, Carl, Rosie and Luke.
He is now writing full time. His first novel, The Trouble with Donovan Croft (recently re-issued by OUP), was published in 1974 and won the 'Other' Award, an alternative to the Carnegie Medal (for which he has been shortlisted three times). Nineteen further novels have followed, gaining him a reputation as a 'gritty' writer in sympathy with the under dog. In Margaret Meek's view he gets inside children's heads, who say that this is what it's like for them.
Of Tiger Without Teeth Philip Pullman wrote in The Guardian:
'A commonplace setting, an everyday situation, ordinary characters. Bernard Ashley's great gift is to turn what seems to be low-key realism into something much stronger and more resonant. It has something to do with empathy, compassion, an undimmed thirst for decency and justice. In a way, Ashley is doing what ‘Play for Today’ used to do when TV was a medium that connected honestly with its own time, and what so few artists do now: using realism in the service of moral concern.'
Johnnie's Blitz (Barn Owl), drew on his wartime experiences as a child in and around London; while Little Soldier (Orchard) sums up his writing: a pacy plot with an emotional turning point, a theme that concerns him, and characters that grip as real people. It was shortlisted for the 'Guardian' young fiction prize and for the Carnegie Medal. His latest novel is Flashpoint - a thriller, the third of the Ben Maddox stories.
Bernard’s picture books include Double the Love (Carol Thompson illustrating) from Orchard, Growing Good (Bloomsbury), Cleversticks, and A Present for Paul (Harper Collins). Tamarind published The Bush, illustrated by Lynne Willey. His popular stories for young readers include Dinner Ladies Don't Count (Puffin), Justin and the Demon Drop Kick, and I'm Trying to Tell You (both Happy Cat).
Television work has included Running Scared (from which he wrote the novel), The Country Boy (BBC) and his adaptation of his own Dodgem which won the Royal Television Society award as the best children's entertainment of its year.
Stage plays are The Old Woman Who Lived in A Cola Can (Edinburgh Festival and tour), The Secret of Theodore Brown (Unicorn Theatre for Children in the West End), and Little Soldier (published by Heinemann).
A strong family man, Bernard is married to Iris Ashley, a former London headteacher, and they have three sons. Their eldest, Chris, also a headteacher, co-wrote with Bernard the TV series Three Seven Eleven (Granada), and his latest "Wasim" books were published in 2007 by Frances Lincoln. David is a London headteacher and an expert on children's reading; and Jonathan is an actor, writer and director whose writing for theatre includes Stiffs; and who was writer and voice director in Los Angeles and London on Primal and Ghosthunter for Playstation 2.
Bernard and Iris have four grandchildren, Paul, Carl, Rosie and Luke.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 28, 2019
A beautiful story of a brotherly friendship and belonging. A pick from my modest childhood 'library.'
It resonated with me quite a bit. I had a mute phase- I communicated in head movements. I remember it like it was yesterday. I moved school, knew no one, hadn't even properly said goodbye to my old friends. I must have been in denial. Six until eight years old, I barely spoke unless it was absolutely necessary. I was known as the shy and quiet girl. It wasn't questioned, just something that was. The phase didn't end overnight, in fact I developed a strong stutter after, which stilted me further. My confidence anyway. I remember my mother getting quite impatient with me. It was a childish thing, but looking back, I was a child. Never really behaved much like one aside from the odd fight. But I'd become embarrased that I may as well never have begun speaking again.
Anyway, I was just thinking this book had been part of my childhood library. I must have seen its cover a millon times, read its blurb. The first few pages rang some bells and yet, I know, with great certainty I never read anything more of it. Strangely ironic isn't it? I could have really used this book all those years ago, but for some reason I dismissed it time and again. Under my nose all along. Oh, how the world works...
It resonated with me quite a bit. I had a mute phase- I communicated in head movements. I remember it like it was yesterday. I moved school, knew no one, hadn't even properly said goodbye to my old friends. I must have been in denial. Six until eight years old, I barely spoke unless it was absolutely necessary. I was known as the shy and quiet girl. It wasn't questioned, just something that was. The phase didn't end overnight, in fact I developed a strong stutter after, which stilted me further. My confidence anyway. I remember my mother getting quite impatient with me. It was a childish thing, but looking back, I was a child. Never really behaved much like one aside from the odd fight. But I'd become embarrased that I may as well never have begun speaking again.
Anyway, I was just thinking this book had been part of my childhood library. I must have seen its cover a millon times, read its blurb. The first few pages rang some bells and yet, I know, with great certainty I never read anything more of it. Strangely ironic isn't it? I could have really used this book all those years ago, but for some reason I dismissed it time and again. Under my nose all along. Oh, how the world works...
July 14, 2020
A lot going on in quite a short book! Interesting portrayal of selective mutism (no longer accurate with what we know now) and PTSD crossover, appealing characters who acted in ways true to themselves.
March 30, 2022
A lovely book, with real people and a heartwarming story. Highly recommended.
April 12, 2015
Really heartwarming
December 31, 2015
After hearing and studying so much about race relations in America, it was great to read about this in Britain as well.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews