Children's Writer, Book Reviewer, Teacher, Artist
Yay! 'The Super Miraculous Journey of Freddie Yates' by Jenny Pearson is a super fun, hilarious and heart-warming children's book, perfect for fans of 'Charlie Changes into a Chicken'. David Walliams move aside, Jenny Pearson, like Sam Copeland, are deserving of your attention!
When his grandmother unexpectedly passes away, Freddie Yates is left with information about his biological father: Alan Froggley. In emotional turmoil, Freddie decides to track down Alan in Wales, taking his trusty, though hazardous, friends Ben and Charlie with him. However, the journey proves to be far from easy. Cue hilarity in the form of onion-eating, exploding toilets and being in the national press dressed as superheroes and choir boys. Will Freddie eventually find his real father?
This was hugely entertaining: a laugh-out-loud romp with an emotional, beating heart. In some ways this feels like the Inbetweeners for boys on the verge of secondary school. There are farts, exploding toilets, mishaps with clothing and genuine ridiculousness and misunderstanding. What makes it work is that, through Freddie's crackling narration, everything feels real and authentic, so when something funny occurs it feels legitimate. I loved the drama around their clothing, and how minor incidents become overblown on a national scale. It's so clever how Pearson takes all these hilarious incidents and threads them together for an explosive, and very funny, climax. But, at its heart, there are really tender musings on what makes family and, indeed, loyal friendships.
'The Super Miraculous Journey of Freddie Yates' is a wonderfully funny and heart-warming new series. Check it out now!