Cheeky Charlie by Mat Waugh - Revision history

Sue at 07:33, 19 August 2020

2020-08-19T07:33:08Z

Sue at 09:58, 2 March 2018

2018-03-02T09:58:48Z

Sue at 17:36, 29 December 2015

2015-12-29T17:36:48Z

Sue at 08:19, 14 July 2015

2015-07-14T08:19:02Z

Jill at 12:31, 11 July 2015

2015-07-11T12:31:06Z

Jill: Created page with " {{infobox |title=Cheeky Charlie |sort= |author=Mat Waugh |reviewer=Jill Murphy |genre=Confident Readers |summary=Sweet and funny short stories about a naughty-but-nice little..."

2015-07-11T12:30:45Z

Created page with " {{infobox |title=Cheeky Charlie |sort= |author=Mat Waugh |reviewer=Jill Murphy |genre=Confident Readers |summary=Sweet and funny short stories about a naughty-but-nice little..."

New review

{{infobox
|title=Cheeky Charlie
|sort=
|author=Mat Waugh
|reviewer=Jill Murphy
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=Sweet and funny short stories about a naughty-but-nice little boy. Perfect for sharing or for emerging and newly confident readers to snigger at alone.
|rating=4
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|pages=110
|publisher=CreateSpace
|website=https://twitter.com/matwaugh
|date=March 2015
|isbn=1508910510
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1508910510</amazonuk>
|amazonus=<amazonus>B00UZUANAM</amazonus>
|video=
}}

''My book is about all the naughty things that my brother Charlie has done. Some of it is funny, some of it is a bit sad, and lots of it is disgusting, because that's what Charlie can be. It might even make you be sick, so get ready.''

You know what? That's about the size of it. After Harry has introduced herself - she's almost seven years old, she doesn't like her freckles, she's used to people thinking that someone called Harry ought to be a boy, and she has a younger brother, who is three and called Charlie. This is Harry's book about Charlie. Charlie is a cheeky chappie. He never shuts up. He likes to push his luck. And, having pushed his luck once, he likes to push it again. And again. And again. This is much to Harry's exasperation, as she explains by dint of a book full of anecdotes...

''Cheeky Charlie'' is kind of a cross between a chapter book and a collection of short stories. You could happily read any of Harry's anecdotes about her naughty brother in any order you want and lose nothing of the fun. Each is quite self-contained. I read through from beginning to end, though, like a good reviewer.

Firstly, narrator Harry comes through as just a strong character as Charlie. She's a very different person - quite law-abiding in comparison! And she is afflicted by a little bit of sibling jealousy. I can't say as I blame her for that because Charlie's and Harry's parents are ''very'' tolerant of Charlie's various pecadilloes, even when they adversely affect people outside the family. I suppose, for the purposes of the book, they have to be. Or Charlie wouldn't be so funny. I confess, though, there was a time or two when the parent in me tsked more at Mum and Dad than Charlie. But that's a minor nitpick. And I imagine many readers would find common cause with Harry's frustration at the lack of draconian punishments - children always think they've had it tough and their siblings have got off lightly, don't they?

But secondly, and most importantly, the main thing is that Charlie's adventures ''are'' funny. I think my favourite scene was in the hospital, when Charlie finds a comrade-in-arms in one of the geriatric patients and they've hijacked the telly in the ward day lounge. Charlie's escapades are all cleverly paced, so readers can guess ahead what's going to happen but not so perfectly that the pay-offs are spoiled. There's a good dollop of slapstick involved in it all but not so much that it becomes a pantomime. And the adults are regularly embarrassed. We love it when that happens, don't we, dear reader? I won't tell you what happens to Charlie's dad on the waterslide. I'll let you enjoy it fresh!

Overall, ''Cheeky Charlie'' is a very successful enterprise. There's a good selection of short episodes that are equally enjoyable shared by reading aloud or read alone by the emerging reader. The vocabulary is accessible and neither too simple nor too challenging. Charlie is a highly amusing protagonist and Harry is a highly relatable narrator.

What more could you want?!

More enjoyable short story collections for this age group include [[The (Fairly) Magic Show and Other Stories by Rob Keeley]] and [[Wonderful Wriggly Worm byEugenie Summerfield]].

{{amazontext|amazon=1508910510}}

{{amazonUStext|amazon=B00UZUANAM}}

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[[Category:Emerging Readers]]

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 Overall, ''Cheeky Charlie'' is a very successful enterprise. There's a good selection of short episodes that are equally enjoyable shared by reading aloud or read alone by the emerging reader. The vocabulary is accessible and neither too simple nor too challenging. Charlie is a highly amusing protagonist and Harry is a highly relatable narrator.
-What more could you want?!
+What more could you want?!  We also have a review of [[Cheeky Charlie: Bugs and Bananas (My Crazy Brother Book 2) by Mat Waugh|Book 2]].
 More enjoyable short story collections for this age group include [[The (Fairly) Magic Show and Other Stories by Rob Keeley]] and [[Wonderful Wriggly Worm by Eugenie Summerfield]].

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:19, 14 July 2015
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	More enjoyable short story collections for this age group include [[The (Fairly) Magic Show and Other Stories by Rob Keeley]] and [[Wonderful Wriggly Worm by Eugenie Summerfield]].		More enjoyable short story collections for this age group include [[The (Fairly) Magic Show and Other Stories by Rob Keeley]] and [[Wonderful Wriggly Worm by Eugenie Summerfield]].
		+
		+	You can read more about Mat Waugh [[:Category:Mat Waugh\|here]].

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+{{infobox1
 |title=Cheeky Charlie
 |author=Mat Waugh
 |reviewer=Jill Murphy
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 |date=March 2015
 |isbn=1508910510
-|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1508910510</amazonuk>
+|cover=1508910510
-|amazonus=<amazonus>B00UZUANAM</amazonus>
+|aznuk=1508910510
-|video=
+|aznus=B00UZUANAM
 }}

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 |video=
 }}
 ''My book is about all the naughty things that my brother Charlie has done. Some of it is funny, some of it is a bit sad, and lots of it is disgusting, because that's what Charlie can be. It might even make you be sick, so get ready.''
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 You can read more about Mat Waugh [[:Category:Mat Waugh|here]].
 {{amazontext|amazon=1508910510}}
 {{amazonUStext|amazon=B00UZUANAM}}