The Worst Class In The World, written by Joanna Nadin, illustrated by Rikin Parekh, and reviewed by Casper Purkiss (aged 8).

A few weeks into lockdown, I sent this book to my grandson, Casper, who lives in Brussels. He told me that it was really good and very funny and he'd read it in a day, so I asked him if he'd like to review it for me. This is the result - we did the interview via WhatsApp. Then I sent my notes to Casper for him to check them, and he clarified a few points.

                                                                                                                                     Sue Purkiss

Me: So - can you tell me what the book's about?

Casper: It's about Class 4B - the worst class in the world - and they have this thing called 'Show and tell' where they show off about stuff. The head teacher, Miss Bottomley Blunt, whose hair is shaped like a bottom, is extremely mean and she has a humongous laminated list of rules.

The teacher, Mr Nidgett, who is very nice most of the time, has a pair of emergency shoes for in case anything gets spilled on his shoes. Miss Bottomley Blunt is horrible to him - it's a bit like in Matilda, where Miss Trunchbull is horrible to Miss Honey. 

The class has a log in the playground that they call the Smelly Death Log, which is hollow and has bird poo on it - they think that if you touch the bird poo for more than one second, you will be swallowed by the ghost pigeon.

Me: Is there a character who's the hero?

Casper: There's no one hero, the whole class is important. They have lots of foolproof plans, but often, something goes wrong with them.

Me: Was there a particular bit you specially liked?

Casper: I liked the bit where they made biscuits from a recipe that wasn't very clear - that was really funny. They didn't have all the right ingredients, so for instance they used chutney instead of jam.

I also liked the bit where Lacey Braithwaite lies about some biscuits she got in a shop called Superior Biscuits. She says the jam inside them is made of 'strawberries picked by highly-trained monkeys', and that the butter in them is made of 'milk from the world's most expensive cows', and this is obviously a terrible lie.*

Me: What did you think of the illustrations?

Casper: They were really good. Look, these are the pictures of the characters - I'll send you them.

Me: What sort of ages would you recommend this book for?

Casper: I would recommend this book for boys and girls from 7-12 - you probably shouldn't read it to smaller children, because it might make them get up to mischief. There's a LOT of mischief in this book!

Me: Thank you very much!

* Casper has become a very expert baker during lockdown, so that may be why he particularly noticed the biscuits.

Return to REVIEWS HOMEPAGE

Iguana Boy from James Bishop & Rikin Parekh, reviewed by Emma Perry

Iguana Boy... saves the world with a triple cheese pizza! Oh yes, he absolutely does!

This is the brilliantly funny series from James Bishop and Rikin Parekh, perfectly suited to readers aged 7+.

Poor Dylan has been waiting absolutely ages for his superpower to emerge. It's been made ten times worse by having an older brother and sister who both have great powers. They tease Dylan mercilessly for lacking a power.

But then Dylan's superpower does emerge. And it's not what he expected. Not even close. In fact, it's pretty useless. And he is VERY embarrassed.

After some hilarious scenes in a pet shop, featuring one of my favourite black and white illustrations from Rikin Parekh [below], things start to get serious. 

There's a super-villain on the loose. 

Celina Shufflebottom's dastardly plot to round up all the superheros has worked. They are powerless to stop her, and unable to escape her clutches. Including Dylan's own brother and sister.

But. 

What Celine, and the other superheros haven't counted on... is Iguana Boy and his pizzas!

This is fast paced story telling, with a wonderful abundance of comedy. With plenty of cunning twists, James Bishop's storytelling is great stuff. Rikin Parekh's black and white illustrations feature throughout - they are brilliantly funny bringing out the characters and the situations they find themselves in. I particularly enjoyed the comic strip style scenes which pop up from time to time.

And the best news? There's a second book in this series out now... Iguana Boy vs. The 30 Second Thief. Plus, book 3 will be appearing soon. 

Return to REVIEWS HOMEPAGE