When I was a boy, we had no books in the house. I bought my first book with my own money when I was 18. Reading saved my life, literally. It gave me a family and friends after I became homeless. Books taught me that another world was possible ...

... and later I became a writer because I wanted so much to give what those writers gave to me. It is my birthday soon, I will be 64, instead of sending me a birthday card as I know so many of you will want to do, I want you to ...

send a quid to @Booktrust, just a pound so that some poor kid can have a better chance, send it here ... https://secure.booktrust.org.uk/donation/  and I'll be sending another £50.

And if you could retweet to get them a few more quid, that would really mean something to me personally. Thank you.