"I buy one pig a month. I can't afford any more. I've no idea whether this is enough, but it keeps the Beast alive. He's grown so big. I'm going crazy with worry someone will discover him."

Stephen is a boy with a dangerous secret. For four years he has kept a terrifying creature locked up in a remote hiding place. Once just a vicious litle baby, it is now a powerful predator, big and hungry enough to break free from its rusting cage.

Stephen has other problems. A mother he never sees, and a father he wishes were dead. His foster family are scare of him - he's not a boy who plays by the rules. But his extraordinary struggle to free himself of his Beast makes him a hero you will never forget.

Beast has been shortlisted for:

Carnegie Medal 2007
Branford Boase Award 2007
Booktrust Teenage Prize 2006
Bolton Book Award
Leicester Book Award

Winner of the Manchester Book Award 2007

Published in 13 languages

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