Tom Weekly 1: My Life and Other Stuff I Made Up

Book excerpt: My Life & Other Stuff I Made Up is just SO gross! It was a toss-up between My Nan's Tougher and Scab as to which was the most revolting story, but I think the former won . . . Tristan Bancks serves up nine weird, wacky and hilarious stories about toes, teeth, teleporters, and more, which make you wonder what really goes on inside his head. Read it at your peril and chat to Tristan at tristanbancks.com. Bancks knows what will make young readers laugh, and want more. Gus Gordon's cartoon-like sketches, lists, random jottings, text boxes, and other interjections add to the humor. I recommend these chapter books particularly for boys who are not yet sure they love to read. But I bet any youngster will relate to Tom's misadventures . . . These bite-sized bursts of fun are inspired by Paul Jennings, Andrew Daddo, and Andy Griffiths, the sort of stories that will keep kids enthralled and wondering if it really happened or not . . . They're easy to devour and perfect for reading out loud. My Life & Other Stuff I Made Up is highly recommended for ages 9 and up . . . In this delightful and funny story, Bancks has beautifully captured the essence of boyhood. Tom is a typical 21st-century Australian schoolboy, following in the fine footsteps of Ginger Meggs. He means well, he has a great sense of humor and a brilliant imagination, but most of the time it all ends up a big mess. It's exciting, yet exhausting stuff. Best of all, it made me laugh. Are you ready to laugh? Yes? Good. Because you won't be able to help yourself once you open this cover . . . Boys will love this book. Fans of Griffiths, Gleitzman, and Jennings will be thrilled to have this book in their collection. Author Bancks doesn't skip a beat as he writes from his character Tom's perspective, and illustrator Gus Gordon adds his usual funny and clever drawings to it all. What a great book. A sort of Aussie tall-tale version of Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2007), Bancks' latest features stories with a high-level gross-out factor . . . A good choice for kids drawn to the upside down and out-and-out disgusting. It's a laugh-out-loud look at a boy's imagination with all of the bravado and cringe-worthy moments that readers might expect. The short, easy-to-read entries are punctuated with Tom's drawings, making this a good choice for reluctant readers. Additionally, the hybrid format, a chapter book filled with cartoon illustrations, and the humoros take on one boy's life, make it another pick for readers looking for Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Abrams, 2007) read-a-likes. These bite-sized bursts of fun are inspired by Paul Jennings, Andrew Daddo, and Andy Griffiths, the sort of stories that will keep kids enthralled and wondering if it really happened or not . . . They're easy to devour and perfect for reading out loud. My Life and Other Stuff I Made Up is highly recommended for ages 9 and up. Like Dahl, Bancks is passionate about inspiring a love of reading in the young by placing fun at the center of his storytelling.