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by Boomert - Nit Boy Lift Off! by Tristan Bancks 16 Jan 2010
Lewis is 11 years old. His blond afro, which defines who he is, is the home for thousands of nits. To Lewis, they are his pets. Lewis is harassed by Mrs Herrick, the deputy head at school, who is determined to exterminate all the nits in school. There is a parallel narrative which gives Ned the nit’s perspective. He is training as a ‘jumping nit’. The dual narratives are adeptly linked to each other and add sophistication and energy to the story. Ned’s ability to jump poses questions about who his mother really was. Ned is an unusual nit--Lewis an unusual boy. THey both start to learn how to be themselves. A minor theme questions if humans are actually nits of the earth, in the way they leave mines, dumps and nuclear waste sites pitted into the earth like the scabs left by nits. There is plenty of humour, such as the prize for the nit sports carnival--regurgitated blood. The black and white illustrations enhance the story and the ending will have young readers prodding their parents to buy book number two. THe quiz at the end separates some nit folklore from facts and is fun too.

This review from Australian Bookseller & Publisher magazine (March 2009, Vol 88, No 6.) is reproduced by kind permission of Thorpe-Bowker, a division of R R Bowker LLC. © Copyright 2009, Thorpe-Bowker.

Author Biography: Tristan Bancks
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