Ned by Andrew Daddo

Stuff happens series. Puffin, 2014. ISBN 9780143308096.
(Age: 8+) Recommended, Humour, Boys stories, School. Another in the series, Stuff happens, sees Ned, late on his first day at a new school because his sister left her all important bag in the car when Mum dropped her off. He is not happy, especially when Mum tells him that nothing will happen on his first day, and especially not to him. A guaranteed opener to a day of unusual events.
He finds that he is in the dragonlady's class, Ms Lucas. He is appalled from the start when she reads the list of names and gets a few terribly wrong, then coming to his, makes a point of calling him Nedrick, rather than the abbreviated Ned. Of course the penny drops when she realises who his brother and sister were, school captain and sports captain in the past. He hasn't got a chance.
A terrible first day unfolds seeing him sent to the principals office, having to apologise to Ms Lucas, and then being sat in the front row. But all comes to a great end when after eating her cheeseburger and lying about it, he realises there is more to Ms Lucas than he thinks.
As with Jack, this book is an easy to read, well crafted story, of a likable character in a very recognisable setting. The plot is something seen by boys of this age everyday at school, it has aspects which will touch every child who reads it. And this will ensure each in the series will be passed from one hand to another by word of mouth, one of the best ways to get boys to read.
Fran Knight