The Detachable Boy with One Loose Foot (Scot Gardner, A&U, $14.95 pb, ISBN 9781741753455, June) ***

Scot Gardner’s first book for younger readers is a nice bit of silliness. John Johnson is the detachable boy in question, with the ability from birth to detach limbs—arms, legs, head—at will, an ability that is in the most part good fun (except for the time he lost his foot behind the couch for two days). But when his best friend Crystal is kidnapped by mysterious men and taken to America John must pack himself into a suitcase (in his separate parts) and try to rescue her. Told with good Monty Python-esque humour (with the best lines reserved for John’s brainy, wisecracking friend Ravi), this surreal tale is sure to appeal to boys 8 to 14. As the story progresses to America from Australia, the pace quickens, turning the tale into quite an exciting thriller. While nothing ground-breaking, this is a good next step up from Zac Power for those readers not afraid of laughs.

Christopher Currie is senior buyer at Avid Reader Bookshop, Brisbane

This review from Australian Bookseller & Publisher magazine is reproduced by kind permission of Thorpe-Bowker, a division of R R Bowker LLC. © Copyright 2008, Thorpe-Bowker

Tags: scot gardner