Books Jack Reads

David's fifth novel tells the story of ten year-old Zoe, who doesn't have a very happy life. Zoe's pet hamster (named Gingernut) has died, her unemployed father spends most of his time at the pub, Sheila, her lazy stepmother, makes Zoe's life a misery, and Tina Trotts, the school bully, always enjoys flobbing on Zoe's head.

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Things start looking up for Zoe however, when she finds a baby rat and starts caring for it in secret, but soon discovers that the nasty 'chef' Burt, owner of the food truck Burt's Burgers, has his own plans for it. (I can't say on the review what those plans are, but there's a big clue in the title). Wil Zoe be able to protect her new friend before Burt gets him?

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If your kids are fans of David and his books, they'll enjoy this one. Just like with David's other stories, this one is full of colourful characters (like Tina Trotts, who's only 14 but built like a truck driver, or Miss Midge the history teacher, who's nicknamed Miss Midget due to her size), David's trademark humour (like Raj the newsagent's story about the frog that 'ate' his pet tadpole, Poppadom), and of course, a serious message at its heart.

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Just a warning though, you might have trouble looking at a burger the same way again after reading this story!

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Overall, this is another exciting, funny, and heartfelt story, perfect for fans of David and his work.