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Review:

The detachable boy by Scot Gardne


cover image Allen and Unwin, 2008. ISBN 9781741753455
(Ages : 10-13) Over the Pacific, in his suitcase, John wants to go to the toilet. He manoeuvres his arm to get Ravi's grandfather's pen knife, cuts the tape, hops out and reassembles himself. He opens some of the boxes around him to satisfy his hunger, but when the flight attendant sees them decides they all need to be examined. Fainting women all around, John reassembles himself and gets out of there. He is off to rescue his friend, Crystal, kidnapped from Australia, and a message on his mobile has led him to the USA.

Here, he climbs his way down an underground bunker, finds Crystal, escapes, is recaptured, both rescued by Ravi and the trio goes through an extraordinary set of adventures before they return home in time to tell their parents they have been at a school camp for the week. A set of bizarre happenings, all bound up in this delightfully silly story, littered with slightly off jokes and puns will be sure to please middle to upper primary kids as they laugh out loud at the antics of the children whose appendages can be removed. Scot Gardner's books have always been a treat to read and this is no exception.
Fran Knight

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