Books Jack Reads

More than anything else, eleven year-old Spike wants to be a famous radio DJ. So when he gets fired from his hospital radio show (and replaced with a human garden gnome named Graham), he decides to start up his own secret radio show...from his garden shed!

 

With the help of his friends Artie (who has an extensive collection of vinyl records) and Holly (who's an expert at using AV equipment) Spike, AKA Radio Boy, soon becomes famous at his school. But when Spike's newly-developed confidence leads to him making fun of Mr Harris, the school headmaster, will the show, and Spike's secret identity, survive?

 

I really enjoyed reading about Spike and his makeshift radio show, and I expect that most kids reading this book will too.

 

Spike is a great narrator that I think kids will be able to identify with easily. He's a bit awkward, has a big crush on Katherine Hamilton (a girl in his class who he wants to marry someday), and has a very overprotective mother.

 

Kids will also enjoy the stuff that Spike gets up to on his radio show, like organising a school-wide homework strike!

 

Finally, I also think that both kids and their parents will appreciate the book's overall message about finding your hidden superpower.

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Overall, this is an exciting, funny and heartfelt story all about having the confidence to pursue your dreams, whatever they may be.