LoveReading4Kids Says
LoveReading4Kids Says
Aspiring sleuths Kerry and Annie are just starting sixth form, but both have much better things to think about than their studies. Annie is obsessed with making this the year she finally becomes popular, and Kerry is smitten by new boy, Scott.
When the most popular girl in school tasks them with finding her cyberbully things start looking up. But when a failed kiss leads to the discovery of a dead classmate, choked with a menstrual cup, things turn serious. The Menstrual Murderer is on the hunt and the bodies soon start piling up.
This is a whip-smart, hilarious, feminist YA thriller. The main characters are endearingly awkward as they muddle through killings and crushes, whilst the popular crowd are deliciously dramatic. With tampons and period pads as the murder weapons of choice, there’s an ongoing theme of periods throughout the novel; this is handled openly, with lots of humour and honesty. Likewise, Kerry and Annie are proud feminists and Weston expertly calls into question the sexism they face as teenage girls.
A fresh take on the YA thriller, mixing suspense with hilarity and social commentary. Perfect for fans of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and the books of Holly Bourne.
Amy McKay
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About
Murder on a School Night Synopsis
Sex Education meets A Good Girl's Guide to Murder in this darkly hilarious YA murder mystery by Comedy Women in Print Prize and Carnegie Medal nominated author, Kate Weston.
Fiercely funny, feminist and FUN! I bloody loved it' M.A. KUZNIAR There's never a good time to find a dead body. But finding a dead body while you're trying to kiss your crush? Dead awkward. All Kerry wants to do is stay at home with her rom-coms and strict retainer schedule. Instead, her BFF Annie has roped her into going to their first sixth-form party to investigate who's cyberbullying Heather, the most popular girl in school. On the cusp of kissing her dreamy crush, Scott, Kerry discovers the body of Heather's second in command - suffocated with a menstrual cup. Within days, another student turns up dead, this time with a sanitary pad across the eyes. Now Annie and Kerry are officially on the case to stop the menstrual murderer . . . period.
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9780008540968 |
| Publication date: |
6th July 2023 |
| Author: |
Kate Weston |
| Publisher: |
Electric Monkey an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers |
| Format: |
Paperback |
| Pagination: |
336 pages |
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Press Reviews
Kate Weston Press Reviews
Praise for Murder on a School Night;
This inclusive feminist tale is thrilling, twisty and hilarious . . .I'll never look at menstrual products the same way again! Fiercely funny, feminist and FUN! I bloody loved it - M.A. Kuzniar
'Kate Weston's hilarious YA murder mystery is a must.'- Irish Independent
Mean Girls meets Midsomer Murders with a dash of Louise Rennison in this genre-blending story... Hysterically funny dialogue and a lighthearted tone. However, what really elevates the goofy capers and over-the-top scheming is how well Kerry and Annie know both themselves and each other. Secrets add depth and complexity to this insightful parody of teenage life. A nuanced, hilarious page-turning romantic mystery - Kirkus Reviews
Channeling the 1980s cult classic Heathers right down to the croquet set, Weston flaunts cozy English charm and puerile slapstick comedy in this propulsive mystery . . . The girls' chemistry as best friends and partners-in-crime-solving is energizing. Refreshing attention to sex positivity and period politics combined with Weston's timing-both comedic and plot driven-ensure a laugh-out-loud romp. - Publishers Weekly
'Laugh out loud funny, delightfully gruesome and packed with twists, turns and feminism. I loved every minute of it!' - Amy McCaw, author of Mina and the Undead
Praise for Kate Weston;
'Echoes of the late great Louise Rennison' Irish Times
If you found the late Louise Rennison's diaries of Georgia Nicholson funny...this book by comedian Kate Weston will make you laugh out loud...and contains wisdom and good advice along with the comedy The Sunday Times
'Holly Bourne fans should love this uproarious debut by standup comic Weston' - Guardian
'This book will make you laugh out loud' - Sunday Times Book of the Week
Author
About Kate Weston
Kate Weston is an ex-stand-up comedian and bookseller. Her first YA book, Diary of a Confused Feminist was longlisted for the Comedy Women in Print Prize 2020 and nominated for the Carnegie Medal.
Murder On A School Night is her third book for teenagers.
Photo credit - Joanna Bongard
More About Kate Weston
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Author’s Note
I bloody love murder mysteries. Specifically, I like to watch them as I’m stuck in bed with the bad period pains I suffer from. I love to rewatch Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple, or Midsomer Murders while clutching my hot water bottle and cursing the world.
Maybe it’s the link between what’s going on in my knickers and the gore on screen that makes murderous tv so comforting to me? Or maybe it’s hope that I too could become a fearless sleuth in my 70s like Miss Marple? Who knows? But with my pain, menstrual knowledge, and a background in stand-up comedy I’ve always wanted to write something a bit ridiculous involving periods.
Finally, while watching the film Booksmart for the millionth time, it struck me: What if a pair of incredible legends like the film’s main characters: hilarious teenage BFFs Molly and Amy, became a crime fighting duo? Add in my menstrual misery and TA-DA Murder on A School Night was born!
It follows Annie and Kerry, two incredibly nerdy, funny, and extremely uncool (but actually very cool, thank you) teens in the small English Village of Barbourough (pronounced Barbara), caught up in the murder of a classmate who’s been choked to death with a menstrual cup. As more victims of the menstrual murderer emerge, the duo battles the patriarchy, and the local detectives (who’ve no idea what a moon cup even is) to solve the crimes and stop more villagers from meeting a bloody fate.
As a teenager with anxiety, OCD, and depression, books were really important to me. I hid inside funny books, and Louise Rennison was my saviour. Like Georgia Nicholson in the Confessions of…series, I wrote my own diary, mostly about my love of Marc Owen from Take That but later despairing that no one EVER fancied me. I never stopped writing after starting my diary, from the jokes I wrote when I performed as a stand-up comedian in my twenties and early thirties, to finally writing the fiction I do now.
I loved creating Barbourough Village, and its resident sleuths: Annie and Kerry, and shaping their silly, flawed, and warm friendship. I firmly believe that funny, female friendships are fierce and lifesaving, and while they solve the menstrual murders, Annie and Kerry’s is certainly both of these things. And so, in the words of my wonderful Annie:“Good Vulva to you!”
Kate xxx
