The Guardian
26th May 2002

Novels written in poetic form are big news in the US teenage fiction market, and this home-grown effort is up there with the best. Danny Chaucer is an Adrian Mole without the wimpishness or pomposity, and the gap between Danny's fantasy life and reality is wittily chronicled in a story that follows the the rhythm of the school year, first love and loss, and all the pains of growing up. Particularly the sledgehammer blow when his best friend goes off with Jenny, the girl of his dreams. Stevens' verse is jaunty, knowing and tart and he gets right inside the dark, dark corners of the adolescent male mind. Although the verse form may take a page or two to get used to, it actually makes this an easier and less daunting book for reluctant readers than the traditional prose novel.

The Journal of Danny Chaucer (Poet) is guaranteed
to be 2002's most talked about book for teenagers.

The Bookseller
15 February 2002

Danny's life, his hopes, his fantasies and their fulfilment,
are presented through poetry and song lyrics. It is witty,
raw, razor-edged and I liked it.

The Bookseller
21 September 2001

Using a series of Danny's poems and some lyrics he
writes for a band, the story takes us through a year
of his life. The compact sentences and sharp language,
the insights into the desires and agonies of a teenage
boy and the contemporary cultural references make this
a funny and innovative work

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