Humorous stories (Children's/YA)
October 2012
Hitching a Ride on a Schoolboy's Mind
One energetic playtime, Brad the head louse bites into a nerve that gives him a hotline to a schoolboy's thoughts and memories. Amazed by what he finds, Brad encourages Jake to make the most of what he has between his ears. Together they overcome a series of nerve-wracking challenges, from nit combs to know-it-alls. How they manage all this while preparing for the all-important year 6 tests will leave you scratching your head! Great book for 8-12 year olds. "Lousy Thinking is a hilarious book with a great storyline in which a boy called Jake - a normal boy who doesn't seem that clever - is bitten on a major nerve cell in his brain by a head louse. The head louse has never thought ANYTHING apart from, 'food/have babies'. Now it's tapped into a schoolboy's thoughts and can also talk to the boy in his head! Jake gives his confused little friend the name of Brad. Although, in fact, Jake is more confused than Brad as he doesn't know who it is that's actually talking to him and screams "Who the hell is this?", when he first hears the voice. It's such an imaginative book, it doesn't remind me of any other book that I've ever read. I find it quite easy to find my memories in my brain but Jake in the book didn't, not until he met Brad. I don't want to give any giveaways, but I'll put it like this - Jake changes at the end. This book has been written by a teacher but you can't really tell - or at least this seems like it would be a funny teacher who is always making jokes. I think the book is a really good idea - and will also help kids understand that there is more to their brain than they think. Which is quite a good lesson to learn!There's no author I can really compare him too. The book is as good as the Mr Gum series. I'm especially impressed as this is the writer's first book and I hope he writes another one, I'll definitely read it and it will probably be even better." The Guardian Childrens Books
