Showing posts with label Paul Fleischman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Paul Fleischman. Show all posts
Saturday, 23 May 2020
#Booky100Keepers Day 20: "The Dunderheads" and "The Dunderheads Behind Bars" by Paul Fleischman and David Roberts (Walker Books)
Here's the thing with both "The Dunderheads" and "The Dunderheads Behind Bars" though - despite the kids all having groovy and cool super-talents, they also feel like kids that any young reader might know themselves.
In the first book this crazy gang get together to defeat their horrible teacher, the intimidating Miss Breakbone (who could probably arm-wrestle The Trunchbull into submission, she's that fearsome).
Junkyard's best find ever is confiscated, so alongside his pals Wheels, Pencil, Spider, Hollywood and the rest of the gang, it's time for sweet sweet revenge.
Hollywood herself is absolutely delighted, as her idol, Ashley Throbb-Hart is in the movie - and she just can't wait to nab an autograph. But guess who else got a part in the movie, and guess who else puts a gigantic jail-bar sized spoke in the wheel of The Dunderheads plans for the perfect summer?
Yep, Miss Breakbone, aided by her weird lookalike police officer brother! Someone's going to be wearing a natty orange suit (poor Spider!)
Once again it's up to the kids to solve the mystery of the missing loot, and spring Spider from jail!
These books are fab - most kids love books where they can identify with the kid characters themselves, and there's really something for everyone in these, doing a brilliant job of representing diversity - and not just that, representing really interesting kids with a whole range of quirks, foibles and strange habits - and for that they really do deserve to be keepers.
Original Review Links:
The Dunderheads by Paul Fleischman and David Roberts (Walker Books)
The Dunderheads - Behind Bars by Paul Fleischman and David Roberts (Walker Books)
Friday, 25 October 2013
The Dunderheads by Paul Fleischman and David Roberts (Walker Books)
Labels:
David Roberts,
Paul Fleischman,
The Dunderheads,
Walker Books
The Dunderheads
Written by Paul Fleischman
Illustrated by David Roberts
Published by Walker Books
We like doing things in a slightly jumbled-up fashion. We previously reviews "The Dunderheads - Behind Bars" thanks to those lovely Letterbox Library folk. Now we're playing catchup as we found the original Dunderheads book nestling in the library and thought we'd free it for a couple of weeks.
As previously stated in our other review, this gang of kids are anything but dunderheads but are unfairly labelled as such by their terrifying Trunchbull-esque teacher Miss Breakbone. Part cybernetic kid-eating machine (at least we suspect as much), with a peppery dash of Cruella DeVille about her - and a rather annoying habit of confiscating children's goodies in class, and hawking them on EBay for fun and profit. What a ratbag!
One day she confiscates a china cat from Junkyard, which was intended to be a birthday present for his darling mum. That is the last straw, and Junkyard's unspoken plea for help from his friends is like a thrown-down gauntlet, a challenge to recover the confiscated moggy and make sure Miss Breakbone is served a valuable lesson or two in the process.
Calling on all the expertise of this talented bunch of kids, Einstein (the brains of the outfit) formulates a dastardly sneaky but downright genius plan to gain access to Miss Breakbones fortress-like house and rescue that poor moggy so that Junkyard can give it to his mum as intended. But there are perils a-plenty, and it will take all the tenacity and courage of Einstein, Junkyard, Spitball, Nails, Google-Eyes, Wheels, Hollywood, Clips and Spider to put the plan into action. Phew, that's quite a gang!
A terrifying baddie, a diverse and brilliant cast of kid characters, a tricky mission and David Roberts' truly amazing illustrations make this something special. We love this as much as we loved "Behind Bars" and seriously think that if any enterprising TV executives are looking for the next huge animated hit, they need look no further than this brilliant book for inspiration.
Charlotte's best bit: Google-Eyes hypnotising Miss Breakbone's maid just in time.
Daddy's Favourite bit: The rather lovely pay-off at the end, aww bless 'em!
Wednesday, 19 June 2013
The Dunderheads - Behind Bars by Paul Fleischman and David Roberts (Walker Books)
Labels:
David Roberts,
letterbox library,
Paul Fleischman,
The Dunderhears Behind Bars,
Walker Books
"dunderhead [Duhn-dur-hed]
n
a stupid or slow-witted person; dunce Also called dunderpate
[probably from Dutch donder thunder + head; compare blockhead]
dunderheaded adj
dunderheadedness n"
Oh that's harsh. If you've previously met "The Dunderheads" in the first book by Paul Fleischman and David Roberts, you'll know that they really aren't stupid, definitely aren't slow witted and are by no means a bunch of dunces. This plucky gang of kids return for a second run, this time they're kicking their heels during the long school summer holiday, so our review is timely indeed!
Einstein (the brains of the outfit) finds out that teen star Ashley Throbb-Hart is in town to film a new movie, and auditions are being held in town. Grabbing his friend Hollywood along the way, and the rest of the Dunderhead crew (Spider, Wheels, Nails, Spitball, Google-Eyes, Clips and Junkyard), the children narrowly avoid a run-in with the fearsome Miss Breakbone (think Miss Trunchbull but meatier, if that's even possible!) and her disturbingly identical (but male) twin Inspector Breakbone.
The kids are successful in their bid for stardom, but frustratingly still don't get to hob-nob with the stars.
When there's a local break in and jewellery is stolen, somehow Spider ends up implicated and is soon on the wrong side of a rather nasty set of bars, with a would-be cannibal as a cell-mate. EEK!
Behind this crazy knockabout story that's told at a rip-roaring pace, I thought there was a rather poignant symbolic tale of unfair incarceration and the struggle for justice and freedom tucked neatly behind, like a shy teen. Certain cues in David Roberts' sublime visuals (like the orange suit Spider has to wear in prison - which looks eerily like...
 |
| Camp X-Ray, Guantanamo Bay |
I won't ruin the end of the story but it's one of those moments (if you read the story as I did) where you realise just how powerful children's books have become as a voice to reflect the best and also sometimes the very worst things that happen in the world. For Charlotte, the story was enjoyable and she liked the great mix of characters and the hectic pace. For me it felt like a book that had something more important to whisper to grown ups and the way we treat others (and also the way we're far too prone to jumping to conclusions about things).
Charlotte's best bit: Hollywood's utterly awesome film collection. I think we need shelves like that at home. She also loved Ashley Throbb-Hart's amazing taste in fashion.
Daddy's favourite bit: Subtle, clever, whispering in multi-tones. A book that is definitely no dunderhead.
(Very kindly sent to us for review by those utterly brilliant folk at The Letterbox Library)
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