Uncle Gobb and the Dread Shed by Michael Rosen

Bloomsbury, 2015. ISBN 9781408851302
Suited to 8+ readers. Themes: School; Thinking. I think you have to be young to find this book enjoyable. It is 10+ on the Quirky Scale (which normally is 0-5 in its range). The main characters have incredibly bizarre nick-names, and views on the world. Uncle Gobb seems to be a cross between a dictator within the education system and the world's most unpleasant uncle. The plot is unusual, and chapter headings and non-fiction inserts are also weirdly irregular and sometimes quite far - fetched. The redeeming features are that the book has moments of humour, strange illustrations and unusually it makes a reasonable, although amusing, critique of 'fill in the gaps' worksheets and discipline strategies. This is not as endearing as the Tom Gates or Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series, but it may appeal to the eccentric child.
Carolyn Hull