Treasure Trove: Discovering an Unknown French Version of My Studs Novel

2003 French Edition
 Just discovered by me (2012)
Hachette?

Now here's  funny thing!

I am about to put a young adult novel of mine The Real Life of Studs McGuire onto Kindle so I am checking out existing editions of this book. 

It was published by Hodder & Stoughton in the Seventies and seemed to have traveled all over the place. My son-in-law (who surfs the net more than I do ) once emailed me to say did I know it was on the required reading list of some outback education authority in Australia?

There was a French edition published by Hachette  under the title  Pour Venger Mon Copain (Avenging My Mate/Buddy)  (See cover below)  I had letters from French readers singing its praises.. Apparently it was on some French Schools' recommended reading.  Being such a Francophile I loved this. My story in French. Great!      
 

Original French Edtition - Hachette

Its popularity might just have been down to the universality of the story of Studs hunting down the gang of boys who enticed his best friend Tony to sniff glue which made him jump off the high roof of a car-park. Tony spends the whole of the novel in a coma while Studs, bit by bit, finds the culprits.

I have a son (and grandson now) and used to love teaching boys. I  loved Studs. and admired him. The novel is set on the day  he and Tony leave school  and shows two boys can love and admire each other as a normal part of growing up under all kinds of pressure..

All this means I was delighted  that the novel proved popular across the planet.


But this week, on my Kindle research I find a newer French Edition of  Pour Venger Mon Copain  published in 2003. And with this spanking new cover.

I have to say it looks great - the cover, cool, contemporary and well keyed into the novel - I love it. But all I have is an image of it (courtesy of Amazon). I don't even have a copy of it!  Of course I will check all this out with my agent and maybe she can hunt down the whys and wherefores of this. (Stop Press later - and so she did! - thank you J!)

Still it's great to see Studs living and thriving years after he was out of print in the UK. Somebody has loved him. It warms a writer's heart.,

And it bodes well for the Kindle of this novel -  maybe some insightful publisher will scoop it up again! - And I will ask Fiona who designs my Kindle covers to be inspired by this cool 2003 French Edition of THE REAL LIFE OF STUDS McGUIRE.

Original Paperback H&S

Look out for Studs on Kindle. I'll let you know.

The original Hardback
 Hodder & Stoughton