funny

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Who needs a Unicorn when you can have a Unipiggle!

Princess Pea always wanted a unicorn and it won’t be long until she finally gets to choose her very own Unicorn at the Royale Unicorn Parade.  It will be perfect, just like everything else in the kingdom.  The problem is Princess Pea isn’t perfect no matter how hard her mother tries to make her.
It was the day that Princess Pea didn’t want to go to singing class or dancing, or yoga that she slung a ladder over the balcony and escaped.
Laying on the nicely ironed grass Princess Pea noticed some things out of place.
That can’t be right. Nothing is ever out of place in the kingdom but here in the garden the grass was bent, the flowers were pulled out of the ground and there was a strange footprints in the mud.
The princess decided she’d do a bit of research about naughty unicorns and the more she read the more she was unsure. Was it really a unicorn in her garden?

When the day of the parade finally arrived Princess Pea watched all the unicorns parade around.  There were so many to choose from.  Which one should she pick?

Which one would be the perfect match for a muddy princess? A muddy unicorn pig perhaps?

Madness and mayhem abounds on every page.

I loved this funny full colour short novel.  It made me laugh out loud at how silly the kingdom is and I can’t wait to read the next Unipiggle adventures.

4 out of 5 ZZZZ

Shaw, H. (2020). Unipiggle the Unicorn pig. Usborne:London, England.

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Believe the Impossible

Marty lives in a very crowded house.  He doesn’t have much but his mother has millions of things and that is just fine with Marty.  Marty’s grandfather doesn’t have much either but the one thing he does have is a wild imagination.

   Marty’s grandfather had all sorts of ideas.  Ideas to make the world a better place like the bum scratcher 2000 or a forever fuel made from rhubarb leaves but it was the idea that came from Marty’s birthday present that was surely impossible.

It was a very special gift but one Marty didn’t quite understand.  It was a strange looking seed.  Yes a seed, and as the seed grew Marty still didn’t understand what was so special about it but he loved spending time with Grandad.  Maybe the seed was magic but it looked just like any other seed Marty had seen.

Eventually the seed became a plant. No, it was more than just a plant.  It became the hopes and dreams of everyone that came to see it but most importantly it became the dreams of Marty, Grandad and Marty’s friend Gracie.

But what was the dream? All I can tell you is it might just be the strangest and most absurd dream of all time.

Will it work?

Will they die trying to fulfil their dream?

You’ll have to read it to find out!

A very funny story about a wondrous adventure that reminds us we can achieve anything with good friends and a little bit of imagination.

I read past my bedtime to finish this one because I couldn’t believe the crazy tale that unfolded.

4 out of 5 ZZZZ

 

Lewis, C. (2022) Seed: Believe the impossible. Macmillan Children’s Books: London, England.

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Want to be a famous YouTuber?

Davy Spencer had to start at a new school soon and thought, wouldn’t it be great if he went to school famous.  Famous.  Yep, that’s what Davy needed.  He needed a way to become famous before school went back and he knew just how to do it.  YouTube.

   Davy was funny so becoming famous shouldn’t be too hard but things don’t quite go as Davy hoped. Especially when another kid YouTuber gets in the way.  Not even Davy’s suit made people pay attention.

How could he turn things around and get famous and fast?

This funny little tale follows Davy as he desperately tries to get fans by finding Yeti’s, being a skateboarding Granny and many other antics that would make anyone an influencer.

This book is followed by Kid YouTuber season 2.

 

3 out of 5 ZZZ

 

 

 

Emerson, M. (2022). Kid YouTuber season 1. Scholastic Australia: Gosford, Australia.

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The Peculiar Tale of Tentacle Boy.

Marina Minnow is a storyteller.  A girl who always has a new story in her head to delight her friends and take them to another world.  She lives in a small fishing village called Merlington, where everyone survives by catching, selling or cooking fish.  So a story is always a good way to explore a world out of reach for so many.

But…

Some don’t appreciate the power of a good story and call Marina a liar. Wendy Whitby is one of those.  Too grown up for such nonsense, she continually tells Marina she is too old for such stories and the fact that Marina can’t stop only proves she is a liar.  Marina decides that Wendy might have a point and decides to tell a true story but nothing true in Merlington would ever be worth telling or would it?  As a dim light flickers across the ocean Marina remembers a story about the old pier.  A place that no one has visited for decades. So why is there a light flickering in the windows?  The fishermen say the old bait shop on the pier is haunted so she is going to find out if its true.

The sea is rough that night and as Marina rows towards the battered pier she starts to question herself. Until she sees the light again.  A gentle orange glow.  She pulls the tiny boat up to the rotting pier and goes inside. What she finds there is wilder than anything she could imagine.  It is a boy. Well, sort of a boy.  With arms and legs but with scales and claws and tentacles for hair.  His name was William.

After long conversations with William, Marina finds out he has been waiting for his father to return from the sea for many years.  Just like her, and she promises to help him find out who this mysterious Fisherman is.   She suddenly notices the light beginning to fade and sees a storm rolling in.  She had to get back.  As she began to row the tiny boat was battered by the wind and rain until Marina lost her fight with the elements.  Her oars were gone. The wind covered her screams and the storm pulled her further out to sea.  It was hopeless.

Until…

She heard a voice from the sea and the boat changed course.  She suddenly started heading back to the shore and William was there in the water pushing the tiny boat to safety.  Before she new it the boat was running along the sand.  Marina turned around to thank William but he was already gone.  Did she imagine it or was it just another tale her mind had made up?  How would she get anyone to believe this and even harder how was she going to help William find his father if no one believed he existed?

A magical whimsical story full of fun and laughter.  The fish puns and jokes are always there to make you smile or even chuckle out load.  The characters are heartwarming and make me smile every time I turn the page and although set in a place where life is simple it is a reminder of just how strange tomorrow could be.

I loved this story.  I read it in a day! The perfect mix of fantasy, friendship and mystery to keep the pages turning and the imagination going wild.

5 out of 5 ZZZZZ

Pickard, R. (2021). The peculiar tale of tentacle boy. Chicken House: Somerset, United Kingdom.

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When you are lost you just need a friend.

A visit to the zoo is always lovely, especially on a cold December Saturday.  The penguins are Arthur’s favourite and the last thing to visit at the end of the day.  The penguins were all playing around on the beach in their enclosure except for one of the smallest penguins.  He walked right up to the glass.  He wanted to be their friend.  He tapped on the glass with his beak and followed the children as they walked along the edge of the enclosure.  Arthur wanted to keep him and asked his mother so sweetly.  His mother bent down and said to the penguin, “Mr Penguin you must come and stay whenever you’d like” before grabbing Arthur’s hand to pull him away.

Back at home the family was snuggled in watching the TV when the doorbell rang and there stood a penguin with a backpack.

Einstein was his name and why he was at the door was a very puzzling question and the detective work had begun.

Why was he there?

How could the children help?

And could the children save the penguin from the nasty zoo keeper?

A very funny adventure about a penguin and his newly found friends.  A great read for everyone.

4 out of 5 ZZZZ

 

Rangeley, I. (2021). Einstein the penguin.  Harper Collins:London, England.

 

 

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The Beast vs Bethany. Who will win?

Ebenezer Tweezer is 511 years old but doesn’t look a day over 30.  How does he do it you say?  He has a little help from a friend but not the type of friend you would expect.  His friend isn’t a wizard or doctor or magician and really his friend isn’t much of a friend these days.  He is a real beast and a hungry one at that.

Ebenezer found his pet when he was just a boy.  It was tiny then.  Just a speck of dust in his hand.  It wasn’t long until his pet began to grow and Ebenezer found out that if he fed his pet the rights things then the beast would reward him with all sorts of awesome stuff!  Feed the beast what he wants and BAM the beast vomits up the most irresistible gifts you could imagine.

Until one day, the Beast told Ebenezer he could keep him young forever and that is where the story starts.  The beast is getting greedy and the food he wants is getting harder to find and more exotic every day.  Ebenezer starts to feel a little uncomfortable about the meals the beast asks for but he has to keep him happy as it is almost time for the beast to give him some more potion to keeps him young for another year or two.

So it’s time for a new meal…

A child sized meal to be precise.

The beast wants a child to eat! Where would Ebenezer find one no one would miss. It would have to be a bad one.  One without a family so no one would cry over them.

Hmmmm. Where to look?

When Ebenezer brings Bethany home she is perfect.  Horrible child.  Rude, loud, and no manners.  The beast isn’t convinced and wants her fatter as she is too small but what happens next will surprise us all.

Who will win?

The Beast or The Bethany?

A very funny and thrilling tale that reminds us there is good in everyone – except maybe beasts.

A great read and I read at all the wrong times to finish this and then read past my bedtime.

5 out of 5 ZZZZZ

Meggitt-Phillips, J. (2020). The beast and the Bethany. Egmont: London, England.

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When food goes bad, anything can happen.

In the back of the pantry at Belching Walrus Elementary School, the food lives in harmony.  The nights are filled with friendship and fun as they play in the fridge without a care in the world.

Until one day…

The pens, pencils and other stationery come down to the fridge to find somewhere cool to rest.  You see the air con is broken and it is way too hot in the Principal’s office and there is plenty of room in the fridge for everyone right?
WRONG!

The Stationery don’t want to share and try to take over the whole fridge so it is up to three young heroes to spoil their plans!

Slice the pizza, Scoop the ice cream and Totz the Potato Gem venture out of the fridge to save their friends from the evil Ruler (yes ruler) Baron Von Lineal and his minions of pens, pencils, highlighters and staplers.

What perils await them along the way?

Can they survive out in the heat of the Hallways?

Will the come back alive?

A funny and wonderfully illustrated early novel for anyone who wants a bit of a laugh.

I really hope my pantry never behaves like this!

3.5 out of 5 ZZZz

Luper, E. (2021) Bad food: Game of scones. Scholastic: U.S.A.

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Yesterday Crumb is definitely not ordinary!

Yesterday Crumb always thought she was cursed.  Nothing ever seemed to go right for her.  She just wanted to be normal but who could be normal when they had fox ears? Because Yesterday was so different, the only useful thing she could do was work in a circus with people looking at her day after day.  Paying money to see the girl locked in a cage.  Until one evening, after a particularly difficult encounter with the Ringmaster, a Raven sat on Yesterday’s cage.  Not strange, you might think, except the bird spoke to Yesterday.  She couldn’t believe her ears.  Was this really happening?   The bird, a familiar, explained to Yesterday that she didn’t belong in the world of humans and her ears proved that and with a wave of a wing the padlock fell open and Yesterday was free.  But where to go?

Following the raven into the forest Yesterday quickly got left behind.  Being left alone in a scary forest was not in Yesterday’s plans for tonight but anything was better than being stuck in the cage.  Then all at once she heard a sound.  A beautiful sound and followed it.  Now you might have guessed that yesterday should not trust the figure in the forest but the Fae are tricky and easily tricked Yesterday to giving up her soul.

Yesterday thought nothing of it until she met Miss Dumpling in her magical tea shop and that’s when everything changed.

Yesterday no longer wished to be normal. In fact she just wished she could belong and stay in the tea shop forever,

but how often does that ever happen in a story!

Yesterday’s adventures are only just beginning.  Can she learn to be a witch and pass her magic tests but more importantly can she break the Fae curse and have a chance at living.

A very funny and magical story filled with adventure.  A must read for anyone who likes a magical struggle with a good spoonful of zany mixed in.

4.5 out of 5 ZZZZz

 

Sagar, A. (2022). Yesterday Crumb and the storm in a teacup.  Orion: London, England

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It’s only Monday. Can this week get any worse?

You think you’ve had bad weeks before.  Well it was nothing compared to the week Justin Chase is about to have. It would have to be the worst week ever.

Justin Chase is just a normal kid.  His mum is super scary, don’t cross her, and his dad is super embarrassing – he drives a car that looks like a giant toilet.  His parents are split and his Mum just got remarried to someone Justin is pretty sure is a vampire.  They are going to live in a small city apartment with no room for Justin.  This means he has to go and live with his dad in his new haunted mansion that backs onto a cemetery.  Great.

 

Then the trouble really begins –

His cat, Captain Fluffykins, doesn’t like dad’s dog and then goes missing

Dad’s fridge that is usually filled with awesome junk food now only has green food in it

His school uniform is way too small and dad has put giant name labels on everything and Grandma’s crocheted him some nice new socks.

This was a bad start but Justin knew once he got to school it would all be ok.  There was swimming today and one thing Justin was good at is swimming so at least he could start at the new school as a legend.  Except…

AHHHHHHHH he can’t find his swimmers.  This can’t be!

His one chance to be awesome is ruined.  Gran comes to the rescue and crotchets him some swimmers and they are pretty bad but at least they fit.

That’s what he thought at least.

Surely things couldn’t get any worse.

HE WAS SO WRONG! and it is only Monday.

An hilariously funny book by our favourite Matt Cosgrove and Eva Amores with more to come.  Had me laughing on every page.  The pages have lots of amazing pictures mixed in and different fonts to make the text super interesting.  I can’t wait to find out what happens on Tuesday!

5 out of 5 ZZZZZ

 

Don’t wait till Monday to read it.  Read it today.

 

Amores, E & Cosgrove, M. (2021) Worst week ever! Monday. Scholastic: Gosford, Australia.

 

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Rainbow Barfing Unicorns? Sign me up!

Unicorns? Who believes in Unicorns? Not you, well either did Xander Stone.  That was until he met one or three to be exact.

The rainbow barfing unicorns were sent from there home in a faraway magical land called Pegasia for being too stinky, too zombielike and vomiting too much.  They were exiled to Earth and were stuck with an even worse problem – humans.

Luckily for them, a young boy by the name of Xander Stone decided, if he was going to believe in Unicorns, he would protect them with his life.

That’s where the fun begins.  Xander realises he can’t let anyone else know they are rainbow barfing zombie unicorns and tries everything to keep their secret.

Join Xander and his very special friends in a truckload of adventures full of rubbish, junk food and rainbow barfs.

This is a really fun series with some very smelly humour.  A great read for a bit of a laugh and all I can say is I hope you never bring a rainbow barfing unicorn into the library!

4 out of 5 ZZZZ

 

Written by Matthew K Manning.  Illustrated by Joey Ellis

Books in the series:

Magic Smells AwfulReturn to PegasiaWho Turned Off the Colors?Fairies Hate PoniesThe Search for StalorRevenge of the One-Trick Pony