Worst Ever School Trip: Beaky Malone by Barry Hutchison
| Worst Ever School Trip: Beaky Malone by Barry Hutchison | |
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| Category: Confident Readers | |
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Reviewer: Louise Jones
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| Summary: A boy who cannot lie goes on a school trip, but ends up partnering Wayne: a bully with an embarrassing secret. Can he keep his mouth shut and avoid a beating? | |
| Buy? yes | Borrow? yes |
| Pages: 192 | Date: January 2017 |
| Publisher: Stripes | |
| External links: [www.barryhutchison.com Author's website] | |
| ISBN: 9781847157751 | |
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Dylan 'Beaky' Malone has a reputation as a prolific liar. He lies to his teachers, friends and family and has become so good at it, he rarely gets caught out. Everything changed, however, when he stepped into Madame Shirley's magical truth-telling machine. Now it's impossible for Beaky to tell a lie, but worse than that, he now has a habit of blurting the truth out without warning. So whether it's telling the headteacher that his breath smells, confessing undying love for the dinner lady, or embarrassing his friends by sharing their deepest secrets, the saying: the truth hurts has never been more appropriate.
Worst Ever School Trip is the second book in the Beaky Malone series and follows our protagonist on a class trip to a theme park. Unfortunately, Beaky has been partnered with the school bully Wayne, and is terrified that his newfound honesty is going to earn him a beating. To make matters worse, the sinister park mascot Clumso the Clown seems to be chasing the pair everywhere they go, and Wayne has a terrible phobia of clowns.
I loved the premise of the book about a boy who couldn't lie and the seemingly endless potential for embarrassing scenarios that this creates. The popularity of books such as Diary of a Wimpy Kid shows that young readers have an insatiable thirst for humour that revolves around the humiliation of the protagonist. In this story, the laughs come thick and fast, as every page plunges our hapless hero into yet another cringeworthy situation. Don't be fooled into thinking that the laughs are just for kids though; I was reading the book out loud to my son and everyone in the room, including myself, couldn't stop laughing. The 'tunnel' scenes were particularly humorous, especially the reference to a creepy fairground ride not dissimilar to Disney's Small World. I had tears rolling down my cheeks.
Hutchison gets so many things right with this story; it's a masterclass in comedic storytelling. Memorable characters, an action-packed plotline and perfect pacing guarantee that the book is a page-turner. The chase sequences combine just the right level of fear, tension and comedy, as well as a good dollop of gross-out humour for good measure.
The final chapter of the book leaves lots of room for sequels, of which I hope there are many. I can't wait to see what terrible scenario the author has planned for Beaky next!
Fans of Beaky Malone may also enjoy Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth by Jeff Kinney, which is full of similar mishaps and embarrassing humour.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Worst Ever School Trip: Beaky Malone by Barry Hutchison at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Worst Ever School Trip: Beaky Malone by Barry Hutchison at Amazon.com.
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