Tag: MG Contemporary

‘The Boy Who Made Monsters’ by Jenny Pearson

Rebecca RouillardLeave a comment

When Benji’s parents go missing at sea, he moves, with his older brother Stanley, to the Highlands of Scotland to live with their Uncle Hamish. Hamish runs a holiday resort on the shore of Loch Lochy but his business is not going well. Benji decides it is not enough just to pray to God, Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu, the goddess Guanyin, and Spiderman – he needs to come up with a plan to save Loch Lochy Holiday Lets. And what could be a bigger tourist attraction than a Loch Lochy Monster?

Benji is convinced the Loch Lochy monster is real, but unfortunately it is rather camera shy. Together with his new friend, Murdy Mei-Yin McGurdy, and Hamish’s dog, Mr Dog, he decides to create a monster so they will have photographic evidence to pull in the crowds. Unfortunately, their monster-making plans do not go smoothly. 

Benji is a delightfully endearing character, full of hope, positivity, and inspired ideas. But although Benji is sunny on the surface, there are monsters lurking in the deep waters below and eventually he will have to face them. 

We had a Scottish summer holiday a few years ago on the shores of Loch Oich (which is the next one up from Loch Lochy) and I spent quite a bit of time scanning the water for suspicious shapes, I’ve always found stories of the Loch Ness Monster endlessly fascinating and compelling, so I was excited to read this one. 

Jenny Pearson is an author who will reliably make you laugh and cry and ‘The Boy Who Made Monsters’ is like a funnier, MG version of ‘A Monster Calls’. This is a book about bereavement and coping with grief, but it is also a hilarious, madcap monster-romp, and a warm-hearted story about family and friendship. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Bravo Jenny, Queen of Funny Fiction!  

Thanks to Usborne for the ARC.

‘Pizza Pete and the Perilous Potions’ by Carrie Sellon, illustrated by Sarah Horne

Rebecca RouillardLeave a comment

Pete’s favourite word is ‘home’ and when something awful happens he decides he’s just going to stay at home forever in the flat that he shares with his Dad above their pizza takeaway shop. But they’ve been losing customers to the pizza chain on the high street and Pete’s Dad breaks the news that they are about to be evicted if they can’t raise £10,000 in four days. 

But then Pete finds a suitcase of mysterious potions in the attic and he comes up with a brilliant plan to save their home. Together with his best friend Anna, Pete creates a menu of magical pizzas to give each customer an experience they will never forget. At first their scheme is a roaring success, until the potions start going wrong.

School refusal and anxiety is at an all time high after the pandemic, but Pete is one of the few children’s book characters I’ve come across who is struggling with this, and the issue is handled with warmth and sensitivity.

‘Pizza Pete and the Perilous Potions’ is a hilarious, madcap pizza adventure with a poignant message about family at its heart – perfect for lower KS2. 

‘Quiet Storm’ by Kimberly Whittam

Rebecca RouillardLeave a comment

When Storm starts Year 7 at Daisy Mill Academy, all her teachers expect her to be as confident and proactive as her older brother, Isaiah – the Head Boy. But Storm isn’t like Isaiah. Storm is quiet – she hates having to speak aloud in class in front of the other children and will do anything to avoid being the centre of attention. 

When Storm is selected for the school athletics team, she’s excited to have finally found something she is good at but she’s not sure she will have the courage to participate unless her best friend, Zarrish, goes with her. But Zarrish is distracted by a new girl at school, Melissa, who is determined to belittle Storm at every opportunity. Storm has to find her voice and learn to stand up for herself.

I was the quiet kid at school and dealt with the mind-numbing frustration of knowing exactly what I should’ve said, but not being able to get the words out in the moment. (And people endlessly asking that annoying question: “Why are you so quiet?”) So it was fantastic to see the ‘quiet one’ represented in this moving and empowering novel. 

I particularly appreciated the fact that even though Storm has to speak out, she is not suddenly miraculously cured of her shyness, her new friends accept her as she is and tell her that she needs to be proud of who she is.

I can tell that the author works in a secondary school, the school vibes are pitch perfect and her adult characters are as relatable and well-rounded as her children/teenagers. (I LOVE that Storm’s Mum has a roller-skating club!) I particularly enjoyed the empathetic portrayal of Ryan – the kid who always gets into trouble, but there are hidden circumstances behind his behaviour.

‘Quiet Storm’ is a wonderfully warm, relatable and engaging story that is bound to be a comfort and inspiration to other quiet children or anyone who is struggling to fit in during those early years of secondary school. This is also a perfect transition read that I would recommend for both upper KS2 as well as KS3.