A short read published by Barrington Stoke (dyslexic and reluctant reader-friendly books), Mind The Gap talks about grief and what happens when long-term friendships are seriously affected by the loss of a loved one. It was very action-packed and at times very sad to process. Would recommend!
read-in-20196 s Michelle1,252 187

When Mind the Gap arrived in the post I was super excited to read this. Although I have not read anything by the author before, I had read the idea behind the story and couldn't wait to dive in. So on a long train journey to London, I took Mind the Gap for company.

Mind the Gap is a very short read, about 100 pages, but it manages to pack a lot of feelings into this book. I loved the friendship between Mikey and his best friend, the narrator. After the death of his Father Mikey is drowning in grief, he is numb to everything, and willingly winds up the local bully Trev in order to get beaten up to be able to feel anything, and his best friend goes along with him to make sure he is relativity safe and gets home in one piece.

As the story progresses we see the toll it's taking on Mikey and his friend, who then makes it his mission to find anything with Mikey's Dad on it so that Mikey has something with him. He asks street performers, and a talent agency before finding his answer in the most unly place.

Final Verdict
Mind the Gap was a great read, and definitely has me interested in reading more books from the author.





One thing that makes this book unique is how the publisher, Barrington Stoke Ltd, have made this reader friendly. The following information is partially taken from the back of the book itself.

The book is printed on heavy paper in two colours - black for the text and pale yellow for the background. This reduces the contrast between text and paper and hides the 'ghost' of the words printed on the other side of the page.

The book also uses a unique typeface that is dyslexia-friendly3 s Kirsty 3,585 343

Mind the gap is a short read from Barrington Stoke. Barrington Stoke publish dyslexic friendly reads written by huge names in UKYA. I love that they are giving young adults who find reading difficult access to books which are written by these brilliant authors which are proper YA novels. I've heard no end of awful stories of teenagers who find reading difficult being given books for much younger children which is frankly just patronising and is going to turn reluctant reading completely off reading fast.


I've been a huge fan of Phil's work since I read his debut back in 2011. He writes YA wonderfully. It's realistic, thoughtful and full of heart and this wonderful little book is no exception. Mind the Gap is the story of the friendship between Mikey and his best friend. Mikey recently lost his father and is trying to deal with all those emotions without any real idea of how to do it. The story captures the raw emotions Mikey is feeling but cannot voice and the friendship between the two boys is really touching.


First class UKYA which is thoughtful and poignant. I enjoyed it immensely. review-books uk-author ukya3 s Mary317 17

Its a nice thing that Mikey's best friend is doing by helping Mikey get his memories back and hear his Dad's voice again.
Mikey wants to get his friend back again as he's lost himself.
Page 11: 'What does bother me is that these last three months I've been losing him. It's he's disappearing a bit more every day and I'm scared that soon there'll be nothing left for me to find. Not a puddle on the floor or a shadow or nothing'.3 s Debbie364 302

Whew. That ending packs a punch. 2 s niall :)31

short read, picked up from the library but the ending was really emotional2 s Romir39

I d the plot, but i felt it should have had a bit more realism involving things that would actually happen, not saying that this is a fantasy but some of the things that happened in the story would not be realistic in real life. I also wished the story was a bit longer, as it cut off at the end in a good way however did not resolve everything.1 Stargazer1,707 40

Good for reluctant teenage readers. Not suitable for younger kids, swearing and violence.teenagers1 Jenna175 32

Beautiful little book with an even more beautiful and emotional ending.fiction read-in-2023 young-adult1 Jim Dean90 181

(Received from the publisher for recommendation consideration.)
Phil Earle puts all his trademark warmth into this lovely, compassionate story of two boys - Mikey, who's just lost his father, and his best mate trying anything he can to support him in his grief. These two are the stand-outs but there's a rich cast of characters, including street performers, a school bully. and an agent. As always with Barrington Stoke the story is brilliantly plotted and paced - their 'super readable YA slogan' is spot on!1 whatbooknext1,115 37

Mikey is a fight waiting to happen. Even since his dad died Mikey has become a robot, not caring about anything,
including his own safety and wondering what's the point in anything any more.

His best friend is trying to help but it's almost impossible to keep Mikey out of trouble on their fierce, unforgiving housing estate. Mikey's new game is to insult the worst thugs in the neighbourhood and then take a beating. He even admits to relishing feeling something for a change, as he bleeds, bruises and spits teeth out.

One day Mikey finally breaks down about his dad. His friend lets him spill out his grief, as he's hardly said a word about it. Not being able to remember his dad's voice is splintering him into pieces. He was a great mimic, but it's his real voice Mikey misses the most.

Risking the wrath of Mikey's toxic mother, and receiving beatings of his own, Mikey's mate will do anything to help him. Following clues given along his search, the answer is in the most unexpected of places. Can he pull Mikey back from the brink of his own destruction?




Gritty, violent, and moving, Mind the Gap is driven by grief and a powerful no-matter-what friendship. Yet another super readable book in the Teenage Barrington Stoke series for Dyslexic or reluctant readers.

Author - Phil Earle

Reading Age 9 - Interest Age Teen (Content unsuitable for younger readers)teen-reads-12-plus Rachel16

Mikey’s best friend is worried about him; since his dad’s death he is just existing and taking risks to feel alive again. The narrator of the story is Mikey’s best friend and he’ll do anything for Mikey even put himself in danger. This is a touching story of friendship, grief and loyalty. From the very first line you are gripped by the powerful first person voice. A real page turner I read it in one sitting desperate to find out if Mikey’s nameless best mate could help him break out of his cycle of grief. Although a sad subject matter, I really felt engaged with the characters who came across as touchingly realistic. Although a short story the author has cleverly packed a lot in and I particularly enjoyed the details about London locations and the ending was very uplifting without being sugary. Not only was this book an insightful read but also looks a real design classic from the cover to the font and shape of the actual book. An ideal gift for someone who s a fast paced engaging story. Lisa Bentley1,339 21

I originally chose to read Mind the Gap by Phil Earle because I was confused. Yes, I am very dumb sometimes. I was looking for the Carnegie Award longlist and instead found the long long list, bought Mind the Gap and set about reading it.

Even though it is only a small book I finished it in one sitting. I couldn’t put it down.

Imagine my disbelief when I realised that it hadn’t actually been shortlisted to the longlist. Sad times.

The story is about two best friends. One is suffering the unbearable loss of a parent and the other is trying to help him come to terms with it. It is a true testament to the power of friendship. A lovely, heart-warming read that speaks of real issues.

Well done Phil Earle.

Mind the Gap by Phil Earle is available now.

For more information regarding Phil Earle (@philearle) please visit www.philearle.com.

For more information regarding Barrington Stoke (@BarringtonStoke) please visit www.barringtonstoke.co.uk. Eve beinguniquebooks1,411 49

When his best friend Mikey's dad, Vinny dies, we witness one boy's efforts he goes to to help his best mate get over and handle the death better than fighting with their estate's gangster, Trev.

Travelling all cross London we encounter people who didn't Vinny at all by the end of his life unfortunately, as he was a failed big time actor who never got a big break. Meanwhile, Mikey's mum is a drunk and seems uninterested in her son's life.



Inevitability seems to pull Mikey to the underground not just to find his best friend but there he finds something he needed more than anything.



As death can effect us all in different ways, here we witness the anger and frustration after a close death coming out of Mikey showing how not processing it can hold you back as he just wants a reminder of his dad.



A short to the point read about death and it's aftermath, inspired by a real story which sounds fascinating too. Calum Mackenzie ‘R.S Green’565

This is a YA book, written in a Dyslexia friendly way with double spacing and on slightly pale yellow paper. It’s an older story so it’s not patronisingly simple and is a story about two friends, following one of their dad’s death.

It’s brief at 94 pages and my non-dyslexic but frequently sleepy (after school), teenage son loved it as a quick read. I can’t judge this from an ‘adult novel ‘ perspective so for what it is it’s 5/5. It’s not as in depth or engaging as a novel but for teenagers this may hook them into reading or engage them at home or in the classroom.

Recommend - for the target audience.
Justine LaismithAuthor 2 books21

This is a short read for reluctant/dyslexic YA readers.

When his best friend Mikey lost his father, he was never the same again. He gave up on life and went out looking for trouble. Our protagonist took matters into his own hands and went looking for the one thing that Mikey misses most about his father - his voice. This journey took him to horrible places, but he was determined to help his best mate.

A lot is packed into this short book. It's gritty and harrowing.

Opening line: It's hard to sound tough when someone's hand is round your throat.grief social-issues ya Lisa47 4

This book is just perfect. It is only 94 pages long so I read it all within a few hours which I think should help me get back into reading more regularly
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