View source for Jim Reaper Son of Grim by Rachel Delahaye

{{infobox1
|title= Jim Reaper Son of Grim
|author=Rachel Delahaye
|reviewer= Linda Lawlor
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary= Funny, thrilling, and even a little spooky: what would you do if you thought your dad was something much, much more sinister than the boring old accountant you'd been led to believe?
|rating=4
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|pages=224
|publisher=Piccadilly Press Ltd
|date=February 2016
|isbn=9781848124875
|website=http://www.racheldelahaye.com
|cover=1848124872
|aznuk=1848124872
|aznus=1848124872
}}

It's the age-old story. Boy (Jim) fancies older girl, in a distant, can't-talk-to-her-without-dribbling sort of way. Naturally, Jim won't discuss this with his best friend Will Maggot because by some evil twist of fate, the girl is Will's sister, and everybody knows sisters are definitely off limits. Not that Fiona's given him any encouragement: in fact the only time she speaks to either of them is when she's pointing out what losers they are.

Then disaster strikes. The lovely Fiona buys a brand-new, state-of-the-art limited edition scooter which means she won't be dragging along to school with them any longer – in fact, she'll be tearing along the road ahead of them so fast all they'll see of her, if they're lucky, is a small blur. Solution? Jim needs a Bazoom! scooter too. 

So far, so ordinary (don't worry, this soon turns into a proper adventure story. There's no yucky love stuff like gooey Valentine's cards or kissing). And equally ordinary is the fact that when health-freak Mum refuses point-blank to allow Jim to buy the new Bazoom!, he goes straight to Dad. After all, everybody knows dads are a soft touch if you approach them right. Except . . . Jim finds getting a quiet minute alone with Dad at home to plead his case isn't as easy as you'd think: Mum just always seems to be around, busy creating her swamp-flavoured vegetable smoothies. Better take a quick bit of time off school and go to see Dad at his dull and dreary accountancy firm, right? Sadly, however, that's when things go downhill, faster than a Bazoom! scooter on pop-boost.  

See, that shiny accountancy building, full of glass doors and marble floors, contains a secret which explains why Dad, who is absolutely rubbish at maths, ended up in a job that, let's face it, tends to use maths on a daily basis. Behind thewalls covered in artistic photos of the Taj Mahal and the Golden Gate Bridge lie musty old corridors and moth-eaten carpets, and there's not a computer or a spreadsheet in sight. What's more, the name on Dad's office door says he's not Mr Wimple at all, but Mr G Reaper. Cue a bunch of madcap mishaps and accidents, and one big question: can Jim ever forgive his dad for lying to him? 

Illustrations are an important part of books for the young. They can add to the story, especially if it's humorous, and they allow the reader to pause and take a breath before plunging back into the adventure. Indeed, it's immensely sad that a lot of books for more ''grown-up'' readers (whatever that means) don't use them more often. This book is well illustrated by Jamie Littler – check out the one about our two heroes when they're under the table on page 139 for a glimpse of a truly amazing camouflage suit! 

Want more stories which start in a thoroughly familiar and ordinary world but soon slide into something weird-but-funny? Try [[Geek Inc: Technoslime Terror by Mark Griffiths]] and its sequel [[Geek Inc: The Impossible Boy by Mark Griffiths|The Impossible Boy]]. The same author wrote [[Space Lizards Ate My Sister! by Mark Griffiths|Space Lizards Ate My Sister!]] which is worth picking up simply for that wonderful title! 

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