Hannah, aged 11, had a reading age of just seven and would switch off whenever she encountered a book as her dyslexia and special needs made reading a chore.

But that all changed after best-selling author Rev Graham Taylor, 46, visited her small village school in Yorkshire to test out his latest book The Dopple Ganger Chronicles - which comes complete with large text and illustrations in a style similar to Japan's cult Manga comics.

Her astonished mum Trish, 41, a nurse, from Scarborough, North Yorkshire, said: ‘Hannah had severe dyslexia and found reading and writing a challenge and was reluctant to pick up a book.

'Her twin Rebekah was an avid bookworm - the exact opposite of Hannah.

‘But the visit to the school and her copy of The Dopple Ganger Chronicles inspired her – the illustrations and words in the book somehow captured her imagination.

‘It was the first time that she’d ever grasped a book and she read it all from cover to cover and even wrote a final chapter of her own.

‘The teachers were astonished and asked her to read her final paragraphs in the ‘sharing assembly’ and it was such a moving experience for us as parents. It was such a proud moment for us as we’d known how much she’d struggled with reading.

‘Since then Hannah has developed her reading and writing skills to such an extent that she no longer needs extra support in her lessons. Her reading age has rocketed by four years in less than 12 months.

'And when Rev Taylor published her final chapter on the internet that gave her another tremendous boost.

‘She is a member of the library and is no longer frightened of using the computer to find out more information about her favourite subjects – the Egyptians, archaeology and Dr Who.

‘She always puts 200 per cent into everything, but she still has to concentrate and work hard. But since reading the book Hannah has improved significantly above most of the children that are around her.

‘It was the mixture of words and illustrations that made her want to read it. And now she's talking about reading Harry Potter next - it's almost a miracle.

‘The central characters in the book are identical twins, but Hannah has never mentioned the twin aspect as something that inspired her.

‘They’ve done their SATS this year and Hannah has come up to the level that is required – which has been a massive jump for her.’

Her delighted dad Andrew, 49, an aviation buyer, said: ‘Hannah has come on in leaps and bounds – it’s been brilliant.

‘At one point her peers were leaving her behind as their reading improved and that made it worse for her.

‘Hannah was the child who never put her hand up in class or during discussions, but now she is the opposite. It’s a fantastic transformation.’

Her head at Hackness Primary School Jenny Hartley said: ‘There has been a huge improvement – Hannah wasn’t even reading before this at anywhere near age related expectations.

‘The catalyst for her improvement was the book. Graham was extremely enthusiastic and inspirational on his visit.

‘A lot of the children enjoyed the book, but it really captured her interest and imagination.’

Rev Taylor, who self-published his first best selling book Shadowmancer after selling his motorbike for £3,000, said: ‘Hannah is inspirational in her own right – she’s written a tremendous ending.

‘I’ll be looking out for her on the best seller lists when she leaves school – she’s showed a fabulous improvement to the teachers at school and I think she deserves all the credit.

‘I decided to publish her ending on the internet as a tribute to her undoubted talent.’

Modest Hannah said of her on-line success: ‘The book really helped me with how I read, but reading is good now.

‘I used to find the words hard, but I am not afraid to ask for help now.’

Odd that it'd ship to us first... I think it said it was printed in China*, would that be why we got it a week earlier, because we're closer?

*Yes, I read the small print.
As I said, it's a nice package, even the text layouts and such.

Too Cool to Be Forgotten is out this week!

I got it this Thursday past (17/7)... so does that mean it was out last week, or did Australia get it first?
I picked it up with the Zot collection, which I've barely scrapped the surface of.

I’ve tried to explain them, and if I’ve failed, I apologize. But again, why so much love?

I can't say, I still haven't seen it about.

That said, I appreciate reading a negative review, because it lowers my expectations a little.
Which means if it's the best thing I've ever read, it'll now be better than I expected, but if it's not that great, I won't have been expecting it to be the best thing ever.
I win either way.

If I think it’s a failure, it’s a perfectly justifiable term to use, isn’t it? You disagree, so you wouldn’t use that term, but like any review, this is a personal opinion. I think people realize it’s a “failure” on my part to connect to what he’s doing, but I, personally, see this as a problem in his work. If I like someone no one else does, don’t I think what the person is doing is a “success” whereas everyone else would call it a “failure”? The same thing applies here, except in reverse.

You said "he fails to give us" when it was "he fails to give me."

As I've said more than once, I don't have any problems with reading autobiographical works that illuminate lives that are completely different from mine. What I haven't seen in any review of this comic is WHY people connect to what Cotter is doing. Every review I've read (and that includes Brian's, sorry) simply says that Cotter does a wonderful job showing the trials of growing up without pointing out why. I'm sure I've missed some reviews that do, but it seems like people who adore the book just write, "Well, he does a great job showing adolescence," and leave it at that, without being too specific about it. You can disagree with me all you want, and that's fine, but I'm simply trying to explain why it DIDN'T work as well for me. I've pointed out that right after the program is reproduced, we meet the minister of the church, and in a few pages, Cotter makes it appear like he's a friendly sort of fellow. Narratively, that doesn't jive with the "fire-and-brimstone" tone of the program. It might be completely true-to-life, but this is not just an autobiography, it's a story. And story-wise, there are elements that just don't work.

Sigh. It's obvious I'm not convinving anyone. I would love to read a commenter who explains why he or she loves this book so much. I'm not being snotty, but I'm looking for more than "Because it speaks to the experience of growing up." That's too vague. If it resonates with you because you recognize elements of your own childhood, that's as bad as it not resonating with me because I don't recognize the elements, as Dan pointed out. If I can't like something because I can't make my "personal experiences the yardstick for believability in fiction," then you can't like it because your personal experiences are in line with Cotter's. Well, of course you can, but I'd like to hear more than that. What does Cotter do, specifically, that makes this such a powerful work? I can certainly see why people like this comic, because Cotter does a lot of stuff right, but I don't see why my objections to it are making people so grumpy. I've tried to explain them, and if I've failed, I apologize. But again, why so much love?

And no, FGJ, I haven't gotten Too Cool To Be Forgotten yet. I'll have to look for it, because, again, I've heard good things about it.

I point out again that it wasn’t MY church’s bread and butter, so it’s not valid to say “It’s just something churches do.” I

But it is something some churches do, silly puns and little joke things like that and some are a bit 'fire and brimstone'.
Regardless, there are churches like this, so why is it a crime for him to put one in his book?
Why is Cotter failing by not tailoring his autobiographical book to you?
Also, was it meant to be 'fire and brimstone' or more of a joke for the, presumably already 'saved', parishioners?
Just seems an odd thing to get caught up on.

On another note Greg, have you got Alex Robinsons 'Too cool to be forgotten' yet?
Interested to see your opinion, especially as you were a bit skeptical when it was announced.

Which is fine, you don't have to connect to the work, you can have your own personal take on things, but it is hard to see it as a "failure" on HIS part when I have yet to see anyone else have a problem caring about these specific characters besides you.

Your response comes off as just the slightest bit defensive. My response to your review was just a point of disagreement, not a personal criticism. Your response, however, seems to invite some. So I will now venture into that realm and point out that a critic with thin skin is in the business of hypocrisy.

Similarly, Epyllion, if I missed the point of Skyscrapers, so be it. That's not much of a point to make. As I've written before, my adolescence was NOT one indignity after another, and a lot of what happens to "Cotter" in this book is just life. I mean, sometimes life sucks, sure, but life sucks for everyone occasionally. As there is no context for the indignity heaped on "Cotter," I find myself not caring, because although I can understand the troubles kids go through, unless there's a reason for it, I just find myself thinking, "So what?" I guess I'm just a bastard. I didn't want to feel that way about Skyscrapers, because there are so many good things about it, but the sad things that happen to "Cotter" don't seem all that sad to me. The "villains" are too cardboard, and the events seem too stereotypical.

I will point out that the next long-form comic I will review is about an 18-year-old girl who doesn't fit in the world, something I can't relate to AT ALL, yet it's brilliant. So I'm certainly capable of looking beyond my personal experiences, but I don't think Cotter does enough to convince me to do so.

That kind of pun is a church's advertising bread and butter.

I look forward to debating it!

I took a look at "Life Sucks," and might still buy it, but it didn't seem to grab me like La Perdida did. Maybe I'll have to sit down at the bookstore and delve into it a little more.

That's a good way to classify The Safest Place, FGJ. I wonder ... And yeah, Mandrake ought to be a bigger star.