Cheap(er) & cheerful
SUMMER’S ALMOST OVER SO BEAT THE SEPTEMBER BLUES AND TREAT YOURSELF WITH THESE BRILLIANT BARGAIN BUYS
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by Malorie Blackman, illustrated by Dapo Adeola, Puffin, paperback £6.99, ebook £3.99
It is nearly breakfast time, but first Eddie and Charlie are going on a monster hunt.
Their journey takes them over the ocean, up mountains, through jungles and the bubbly bubble lake until they finally come face-to-face with the monster in its lair, but who could the mysterious creature be?
Discovering the identity of the monster and the children’s imaginary encounters are the best part of the story, alongside Dapo Adeola’s beautifully illustrated pictures of the characters and the setting.
Malorie Blackman’s book is peppered with juicy adjectives and alliteration, making for an adventure story both children and adults will enjoy reading aloud time and time again.
takes the form of the children not listening, to such an extent it’s crossed my mind they might be deaf, such is their ability to ignore commands – though the offer of a biscuit miraculously restores their power of hearing.
Sometimes, they appear to be taking instruction, but continue the activity I’ve told them to stop with increased fervour as though I’ve set them a challenge and they’re proving what limited powers I have at my disposal if words are the only option.
The second major talking point is sleep. For us, the problem is they share a room, so it’s not the fact they wake up during the night, the difficulty is their inability to make it into bed.
Bedtime is simply an extension of playtime so invariably they go to sleep late and wake up tired and grumpy.
And finally, food (fuel?) where tastes change every day, and some items are consigned to ‘don’t like it’ on a whim.
Although even with these common faults, allow me to say the twins are lovely little runners with two careful owners.