Dylan Malone, aka Beaky, has a habit for telling porkies every time he opens his mouth, out pops a whopper But then his long-suffering sister shoves him into the truth-telling machine at Madame Shirley's Marvellous Emporium of Peculiarities. Now Beaky can't tell a lie not even a teeny-weeny one and a truth-telling Beaky is even worse...

Barry Hutchison was born and raised in the Highlands of Scotland. He was just eight years old when he decided he wanted to become a writer and 17 when he sold his first piece of work. His work includes the Invisible Fiends series for HarperCollins and The Shark-Headed Bear Thing for Nosy Crow. He also writes for TV. Barry lives in Fort William with his partner and their two children.