I received this book for free from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
My Uncle Gus The Garden Gnome by Jackie French Series: Wacky Families #4
Published by Harper Collins on 2004 May 26
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 130
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
We've all got wacky families, it's just that some are wackier than others—find out how wacky in the fourth book of this hilarious series, My Uncle Gus the Garden Gnome. Tom has the happiest family around. Dad is Senior Bogeyman for the entire east coast and Mum is First Assistant Tooth Fairy. Only Uncle Gus feels a professional failure—he's just a garden gnome. But when the Most Powerful Witch in the World puts a bad-luck spell on Tom, it's Uncle Gus—and Tom's friend Mog (who's a... well, no one is quite sure what Mog is, but he's large and hairy)—who put things right. A hilarious story featuring sabre-toothed tigers, mad scientist teachers, magic carpets, and lots of fun and mayhem.
I’m going to bonk anyone in the head who says that MG books are boring. My Uncle Gus, The Garden Gnome is a heartwarming tale about a boy, Leo, who has a crush on a ghost named Fra. And he’s really trying his best to make Fra’s ghostly life interesting. But the trouble is, Grizella, a beautiful witch and Leo’s classmate, is sort of crazy about him. So when Leo turned down her dance invitation, Leo’s life has suddenly gone to the dogs. See? Middle grade books are even crazier than YA and Adult books.
So with Leo’s life going downhill, you might think that he’s doomed but things actually went for the better. Leo and the circumstance that he was in helped the people around him to find happiness in the littlest of things.
I received this book for free from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
My Gran The Gorilla by Jackie French Series: Wacky Families #6
Published by Harper Collins on 2005 December 14
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 111
Format: E-Arc
Source: Edelweiss
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
TJ's gran has hairy legs and arms. She also makes the best banana cake in the universe, as well as baked bananas, choc-coated bananas and Roast Lamb Surprise (which is mostly bananas) too. In fact, there is only one little problem about having a gorilla for a gran. And the little problem's name is Linda.
What will cool clever Linda think when she finds out who tJ's gran really is? And what will she think of a pet who's a slimy Giant Skateboarding Slug called Egbert? Will she still want to perambulate with tJ? But then again, perhaps Mr Pifflewhiskers, their teacher, is not what he seems... When wombat poachers come to Gobbledygook - it's up to tJ and Gran, with help from Linda and Egbert - and a surprise discovery - to save the day. Join tJ and his gran the gorilla in another exciting adventure in the Wacky Families series.
When I picked up this book, I didn’t expect that it’s going to be a Tarzan retelling. So it was really a lovely surprise that after reaching three pages into Chapter 1, the details became clear. Tarzan Junior a.k.a TJ, is Tarzan and Jane’s 5th child and only son, and well, he has a gorilla for a grandmother. Compared to the last Tarzan retelling that I’ve read two years ago, this version was more entertaining and definitely quirky.
Even though My Gran A Gorilla is a middle grade book, the adults can still relate to it and the lessons that it tries to impart.
I received this book for free from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
My Auntie Chook The Vampire Chicken by Jackie French Series: Wacky Families #7
Published by Harper Collins on 2006 May 31
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 128
Source: Edelweiss
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
We've all got wacky families, it's just that some are wackier than others—find out just how wacky some families can be in the sixth book of this hilarious series.
Drackie is no ordinary kid. He lives on Vampire Island, where every night is dark and stormy. Soon he'll be old enough to turn into a bat and live in his own castle. Drackie has just had the best birthday ever. His parents have given him what he's always secretly wished for—a toad. And not just any toad, a vampire toad, he's called Fang. Then the unthinkable happens, Fang is toad-napped and a ransom of $100,000 is asked for by the International Society of Toad Thieves. The only clue is a bright pink feather. A clue that leads to Auntie Chook. But who is Auntie Chook? And why doesn't anyone in Drackie's family wish to talk about her?
If I had been twenty years younger, I would have enjoyed My Auntie Chook, The Vampire Chicken immensely. As the name of the series suggests, it’s definitely wacky. With a straightforward story telling, My Auntie Chook, The Vampire Chicken brings us a story of a young vampire named Drackie who went into a quest—with his cousin, Snot, and outcast Aunt, Chook—to find his missing toad. Crazy stuff ensues and Drackie realized the importance of standing by your choices/decisions despite the odds.
Pleasant and quirky, My Auntie Chook certainly made for a good read to pass the time.
I received this book for free from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
My Pa The Polar Bear by Jackie French Series: Wacky Families #8
Published by Harper Collins on 2007 January 01
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 129
Format: E-Arc
Source: Edelweiss
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
Fuzz and his family live at the zoo. Fuzz's dad is a blood-thirsty tiger, his mum a mud-cake-making rhinoceros, his sister a tap-dancing giraffe and his brothers a pair of somersaulting monkeys. Fuzz makes great pocket-money pretending to be a polar bear, and at the end of each day his family take off their costumes. Well, most of the time, anyway. Fuzz's pa loves being a polar bear so much he wants to be one! And when he wins two tickets for a cruise to the Arctic, things don't quite turn out as planned! Who is the mysterious girl with pointed ears? What are those strange jingle bells Fuzz keeps hearing? How can two part-time polar bears cope with real ones? Will Fuzz and Pa have to eat raw fish forever? And do reindeer really fly ... Find out what happens at the North Pole with Fuzz and his pa on this amazing Arctic adventure in the Wacky Families series.
Polar bears are really cute. There was a time that I dreamed of being a polar bear and live in the North Pole so it wasn’t a surprise that at some point in the story of My Pa, The Polar Bear, I felt envious of Fuzz. Well, Fuzz is actually a human boy who has to dress up like a polar bear due to his family’s zoo business.
Fuzz hated masquerading as a Polar Bear so you can imagine the fun when he grudgingly went to the North Pole to accompany his grandfather who is obsessed with polar bears. Everything in the story just snowballed after that with Fuzz finally realizing the value of Polar bears not only to humans but also to biodiversity and the environment in general.