The Book Zone: activity book

Saturday, 29 August 2015

Book Zone Box Set #2 - The Barry Loser Series by Jim Smith

For the second post in my new Book Zone Box Set, where I put the spotlight on a series of books that I have read an enjoyed, and would highly recommend to any parent asking about suitable books for their child, I have selected the pants-wettingly funny Barry Loser series by Jim Smith.

If you have a 7+ aged child who has not yet discovered the Barry Loser books then what are you doing? These are the kind of books that can get kids excited about reading, and as we know, once that happens at a young age it can become a lifelong passion. Not that there can be many children of that age in the UK have not already heard of these books. It's only three years since I Am Not A Loser was published in the UK, and we already have six full-length Barry Loser books in print, as well as the World Book Day title I Am Nit A Loser, and three e-books (two of which are currently free by following the links at the Barry Loser books webpage). Sales in the UK now exceed 400,000 copies, and along withh Liz Pichon's Tom Gates books, has become a genuine rival for Jeff Kinney's Wimpy Kid books here in the UK.

And there's more... last month saw the release of the first book in a brand new series from Jim Smith - Future Ratboy. Fans of the Barry Loser series will already know that this is a spin-off from the man series, as Future Ratboy is Barry's favourite TV show. Well now Future Ratboy has his very own book, titled Future Ratboy and the Attach of the Killer Robot Grannies, and it is even more hilarious (and keel) than the Barry Loser books themselves.

Move over Spidey, get back in your cave Batman, and keep your glasses on Clark Kent, there's a new superhero in town. FUTURE RATBOY.

When a bolt of lightning hits Colin Lampost (and his toy bird, Bird), he is zapped millions of years into the future! Life will never be the same again. Bird has been brought to life as Not Bird and Brian's DNA is fused with a rat giving him superkeel powers. Future Ratboy is born!

But the future is not a safe place to be and there are killer robot grannies on the rampage! Will the dynamic duo survive the attack and save the world?

Join Future Ratboy and Not Bird on their first adventure to find out!

And, Loser fans, there is still more. "Surely not!" I hear you cry, but yes. Not only is there all those Barry Loser books, and the new Future Ratboy book, but, released just this past week, is Barry Loser's Ultimate Book of Keelness.

The ultimate book for fans of Barry Loser!

Packed full of brilliant content, including the World Book Day book I am nit a Loser, the short stories ‘Bunky is a Loser’ and ‘My Dad is a Loser’, editions of the Daily Poo, a Q&A with Jim from his fans and pages of brand-new superkeel drawing guides and activities, Barry fans old and new will love Barry Loser’s Ultimate Book of Keelness.

This is another must-buy for all Barry Loser fans. It is full of fun activities, such as drawing tasks (noses, dog poos, fronkle cans) and a loserfan quiz, as well as brand new Barry Loser short stories and also the World Book Day I Am Nit A Loser story (just in cased you missed your chance to get a copy at the time).

I can't recommend these books enough for getting kids into reading for enjoyment. Is there a more heart-warming sound than that of a young child giggling away to themselves as they read a book?

Saturday, 5 March 2011

Review: Robots v Gorillas in the Desert (Mega Mash-Up) by Nikalas Catlow and Tim Wesson

Deep in the desert, Gorillas trade the oil under their city for bananas grown by hi-tech Robots. But after Gadget the Great accidentally sends 10,000 volts of electricity up King Well-Hairy's nose, the robots and gorillas decide to sort things out once and for all: whoever wins will have all the oil and all the bananas. Which side will manage to avoid the garlic burp-breath sand slugs? Who will be deceived by the banana sundae mirages? And when will they realise that they forgot to agree on a finishing line?

I read a huge amount as a child, but I had friends who didn't. I have had conversations with them as adults, and looking back they feel that reading was too passive an activity for them. They couldn't sit still long enough to follow a story, and even on a wet day they would give up and go an do something else instead. A couple of them state that they can remember the moment books started to become more interesting, and it was when they first discovered Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone's Warlock of Firetop Mountain, the first book in their long-running and phenomenally successful Fighting Fantasy series. Even though these friends were sport mad, and would treat anyone who played Dungeons and Dragons with disdain, this create your own adventure story, and all those that followed, struck a chord with them and all of a sudden they were reading books during school break times, swapping them one they had been completed. These books made reading a fun pastime for them and many of them are still avid readers today thanks to these books.

There are many, many choose your own adventure books around these days (including the oft re-published Fighting Fantasy series), but now author/illustrators Nikalas Catlow and Tim Wesson, in conjunction with Nosy Crow, a relatively new independent publisher of children's books, have come up with a great new concept that makes reading even more interactive for the 6+ age group. They have recognised that children love activity books, and whilst many boys may be reluctant to pick up a book and read they are often more than happy to sit doodling for hours, often with very comedic results. Why not, then, produce a book that tells a story, include crazy and hilarious illustrations, but also leave spaces for the reader to fill in further illustrations using their own imaginations?

But the cleverness doesn't stop there. Nosy Crow did a survey, asking boys in this age group what they really liked, the results of which can be found here, and they they used this list in the creation of the Mega Mash-Up books. And so we have titles like: Robots v Gorillas in the Desert, and Romans v Dinosaurs on Mars (both published last month), and coming up in June, Pirates Ancient Egyptians in a Haunted Museum, and Aliens v Mad Scientists Under the Ocean. Pure genius!

I have a copy of Robots v Gorillas in the Desert in front of me at the moment, and it is brilliant. I can't believe there is a 6-9 year old boy out there who will not be enchanted by this book, and if they are as cool as this one the rest in the series as well. Marketed well and given the exposure they deserve, these books could become huge, with boys comparing their drawings and ideas in the playground, having competitions as to who can come up with the coolest doodles and additions to the story. If you are a parent of a boy in this age range you would be a fool not to get these for your son, and they should certainly become must-haves for those long holiday journeys and wet afternoons during school holidays.

Nosy Crow also have a fantastic Mega Mash-Up website with all kinds of cool extra stuff, as well as a gallery where young readers can have their own doodles in the books showcased. My thanks go to the publishers for sending me a copy of the book to review.

Pages

Saturday, 29 August 2015

Saturday, 5 March 2011