The Story of Matthew Buzzington by Andy Stanton

The Story of Matthew Buzzington by Andy Stanton
Buy The Story of Matthew Buzzington by Andy Stanton at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: Dyslexia Friendly
Reviewer: Sue Magee
Summary: There's a lot packed into this story - self-belief, bullying, a bit of magic and a neat twist to finish it off. Oh - and it's dyslexia friendly too.
Buy? Yes	Borrow? Yes
Pages: 120	Date: July 2014
Publisher: Barrington Stoke
ISBN: 978-1781124147
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Ten year old Matthew Buzzington was less than impressed when his father got a new, high-powered job and they had to move to the big city like IMMEDIATELY. It meant a new school, complete with a bully called Pineapple Johnson. (No. Sorry. You'll have to find out for yourself.) Matthew held on to one fact though - he knew that he had a superpower. He could turn himself into a fly. There's only one problem. It didn't work. No matter how hard he tried, no matter how he concentrated on thinking himself into being a fly, he was still a ten-year-old boy with curly hair and he was getting bullied. Then everything changed one night when Matthew, his four-year-old sister Bella and Pineapple Johnson were accidentally locked in the school one night. And burglars broke in.

Here at Bookbag Towers we've long been fans of Andy Stanton and I wasn't in the least bit surprised that this was a very full story, touching on self-belief and bullying. It was a good read even for someone who is many times the age of the target market and I howled with laughter at the end. Then I found the page of stickers. They're mainly squashed flies, but someone I know is walking around with a sticker on his back which says 'MEDIUM SIZED ROBBER'.

There's another bonus with this book. It's dyslexia friendly. The paper on which the story is printed is thick so that there's no chance of whatever's on the reverse showing through, which can be a distraction. For the same reason the paper has a matt finish - shiny paper can make reading more difficult - and it has a creamy-yellow colouring which is easier on the eye. The font - one specifically designed by Barrington Stoke - is double spaced. Even people who are not dyslexic - and particularly reluctant readers - will find that all these factors make reading easier.

This book has a reading age of eight and an interest age of seven to twelve so it's very suitable for boys who just need that little bit of extra help and encouragement as well as those who are struggling rather more. But are tweens going to want to be seen reading the book? Well, there's a 'dyslexia friendly' sticker on the cover which peels off easily and there is then nothing to distinguish this from a book published by a mass-market publisher. The cover is completely in line with other books for this age group (nice chunky feel to it, too) and the author is well known and respected. What's not to like? I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.

Girls will enjoy Star for a Day by Jean Ure and Bright Star by Jenny Oldfield. Boys with a similar reading age will enjoy Klaus Vogel and the Bad Lads by David Almond and Vladimir Stankovic.

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