Cardiff-based independent publisher Candy Jar Books is celebrating after The Killer Underpants by Michael Lawrence was named the Books Council of Wales’ English-language Book of the Month for July.
The book is the second title in the much-loved Jiggy McCue series to be republished by Candy Jar, following last year’s return of The Toilet of Doom. Distributed by the Books Council of Wales, the title is already available in bookshops and libraries across Wales.
Originally published in the 1990s, the Jiggy McCue series became a favourite with young readers for its fast-paced storytelling and off-the-wall humour. Candy Jar is now reintroducing the books to a new generation as part of its children’s list focused on entertaining, accessible fiction that encourages reading for pleasure.
In The Killer Underpants, Jiggy McCue’s latest disaster begins in the most ordinary of places – a shopping trip for new underwear. Things quickly take a very strange turn when he discovers his new underpants won’t come off and when they start to itch they can make classmates and even teachers obey his every command!
With his best friends Angie Mint and Peter Garrett alongside him, Jiggy is soon caught up in another chaotic adventure where nothing goes to plan and normal rules seem to stop applying entirely.
For Keren Williams, Head of Marketing at Candy Jar Books, the Book of the Month recognition is a welcome boost for the series’ return.
“We’re absolutely delighted that The Killer Underpants has been chosen as the Books Council of Wales’ English-language Book of the Month. It’s fantastic recognition for the book and for the series as a whole, and we’re proud to be a Welsh publisher bringing it back for new readers,” she says.
“Humour is a brilliant way of drawing children in, especially those who might not normally pick up a book. Jiggy McCue has always done that really well, and it’s great to see him finding a new audience.”
Michael Lawrence says: “It’s a pleasure to see Jiggy back. The books were always written to entertain first and foremost. If readers laugh, squirm a bit and want to keep turning the pages, then Jiggy’s doing his job.”
The Jiggy McCue series, which includes titles such as The Toilet of Doom, Maggot Pie and The Snottle, sold hundreds of thousands of copies and became a staple of UK classrooms and libraries.
The return of the series forms part of Candy Jar Books’ wider children’s list, which focuses on humorous, engaging fiction designed to encourage reading for pleasure.
The Killer Underpants is published by Cardiff-based Candy Jar Books, distributed by the Books Council of Wales, and is available now from bookshops across Wales and the UK.
