How Harry Riddles Mega-Massively Broke the School (Shoutykid, Book 2) by Simon Mayle
| How Harry Riddles Mega-Massively Broke the School (Shoutykid, Book 2) by Simon Mayle | |
|
| |
| Category: Confident Readers | |
| |
Reviewer: John Lloyd
 | |
| Summary: A second suitably snappy book in this series, bound to get empathy from the young gamer who likes to read. | |
| Buy? YES | Borrow? YES |
| Pages: 336 | Date: March 2015 |
| Publisher: Harper Collins Children's Books | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 9780007531899 | |
|
Share on: | |
|
| |
I'm like the narrator in a junior fiction novel. There, I've said it. But I am – for, like them, I cringe when the parents get to bring babies in to the world. Louise Rennison did it well, the Joe Cowley books have just done it, and there are countless other instances of the young narrator, establishing his woes to us for the sympathy vote, having a baby sibling foisted upon them. And our Shouty Kid, Harry, has a lot to worry about already – there's a new boyfriend for his evil older sister, there's the slim chance of a new girlfriend for him, there is desperation from others at his lack of sporting ability, and there just aren't enough hours in the day for him to play World of Zombies. How he can combine all these factors successfully – or not, of course – is the subject of this first sequel.
Last time round there was little real reason why Harry was called Shoutykid, and there's none here – previously it might have been him indulging his errant father in a film-making business, here if anything it's Harry being shouted at (on the football field) or trying to call the shots as regards a school computer club (a thinly disguised gamers' sanctuary, whose storyline is heralded very obviously by the book's title). Plot is generally very strong, however – and for those like me who blanch at the thought of the babies coming along, that's going to be an issue if anything for the third in the series, due very soon.
But equal to, if not above, the thoughts of the plot must be the considerations of the style. In a world where children's literature seems so old if it's just a straight narrative, here we have Harry's text conversations, email chats and forum threads, and nothing else, and while they do have the habit of jumping from one to the other mid-flow a little unrealistically, they form the entire storytelling in a brilliant way. Harry can receive advice – good and bad, get nowhere with unsent texts to his intended girlfriend, and can, of course, write cheeky letters to real people in the world in vain hope of a reply – here, Barack Obama, and the Cambridges. This fantasy side of things is still in the book, whereas other things that might have seemed a little too much, like his private schooling, are toned down. There's more of Harry being active (if slightly sedentary, in front of a console or PC game) and his interests this time are more attuned to him and kids like him, and less those of his parents. The real world is subtly included with references to the SW England floods of a year or two ago.
And I assume you saw the three keywords in that last paragraph, didn't you? …kids like him… I am damned sure they will, for I do. These books still have it – even if 'it' is just a fresh and sprightly way to get a reluctant reader through a whole 330-page novel. So much so, that even if the new arrival does feature heavily next time around, I think I will have to be on board to see what happens. These are clever, deft and enjoyable reads.
I must thank the publishers for my review copy. We also have a review of How Harry Riddles Made a Mega Amount of Money (Shoutykid, Book 5) by Simon Mayle and Nikalas Catlow.
For a much more American approach to reading for this audience, yet with a similarly healthy manner of bending the narrative form, you could do worse than try The Tapper Twins Go to War (With Each Other) by Geoff Rodkey.
Please share on: 
Facebook, 
Twitter and
Instagram
You can read more book reviews or buy How Harry Riddles Mega-Massively Broke the School (Shoutykid, Book 2) by Simon Mayle 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 How Harry Riddles Mega-Massively Broke the School (Shoutykid, Book 2) by Simon Mayle at Amazon.com.
Comments
Like to comment on this review?
Just send us an email and we'll put the best up on the site.
