2014 · 182 pages
A comedy for all ages (9-109).A story for anyone who sometimes feels out of their depth. When you are bright enough to ask the questions but not so clever to understand the answers, the world can be a difficult place. And as everyone knows, the world is just a metaphor for school. Jack probably won't understand this, not yet, but this story is not about being average. Not really. It is a tale of friendships lost and friendships found. It is the precursor to a coming of age story; a prerequisite of passage. "Jack's average," said Adam."I wouldn't even say he was that," said Olivia. "Anyway, you told us he was average yesterday. Has he not improved yet?""No," said Adam dejectedly."Be fair," I said to them both, "it's only been a day." "You should take up karate," she says. "You'd be way below average at that."The logic is inescapable but it's not what I was looking for.If The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole had been written by a bloke ... If the Wimpy Kid was a Brit ... If Alex Rider was dyspraxic ... If Harry Potter was a muggle ... This isn't a story for wizards and secret agents. This book will not train your dragon. There are no zombies, werewolves or vampires ... okay, there's a vampire squid but they're real; look them up. (Vampyroteuthis infernalis - seriously.) There are skeleton bobsleigh races, Sopwith Camels and aerial dogfights, invisible ponytails, a staffroom heist, tiger sharks and slavery, but mostly it's just kids stuff. Friends, fall outs, football in the playground, some practical jokes, a few detentions, a bit of low level bullying and a fight. And families. Ordinary, wonderful families, doing the things that ordinary, wonderful families do. No unicorns. Nobody dies. No smooching and none of that kissy stuff. Just a proper story.
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