In the just over five years that I’ve been blogging, I’m ashamed to say that I’ve never reviewed a book by current Children’s Laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce. It’s not that I haven’t read and enjoyed any of his books – before I got into reviewing, I did just that but somehow I’ve not got round to reading anything else since, so when I spotted this on NetGalley I requested it immediately and bumped it straight to the top of the pile when I was swiftly approved.

A very funny story, filled with hope and incredible twists and turns, this is a read that has underlined to me the enormous disservice I have done myself by not picking up more of the author’s previous titles and is one that would make a wonderful class read in Year 4 upwards, where children will enjoy hugely the scrapes that our hero Rafa gets himself into after joining a new school and accidentally discovering his resemblance to a world famous child star.

Our story opens with the incredible revelation from Rafa that the events he is about to reveal from his young life are to be made into a blockbuster film, but he is going to put the record straight for us before it gets the Hollywood treatment. Taking us back to the small, rented terraced home he shares with older brother Cillian and their mum, we learn of their shared love for TV show Six Shots and their dreams of taking part and winning its star prize of a house of their own.

All thoughts of this are put on the back burner though when Mum tells the boys they are going on an adventure when they are forced to leave their home, and she leaves the brothers in the care of their unenthusiastic Uncle Miles while she tries to find a new one. Unable to attend their usual schools, Rafa finds himself heading to Star of the Sea Primary, where he joins a nurture group run by Shakespeare-obsessed teacher Ms Greenwood and she takes him and the others in the group on a trip, where they inadvertently stumble onto a film set where Rafa is given the task of standing in as a body double for its famous child star, BB.

With his life already turned upside down, things become even more bizarre for Rafa when Cillian goes missing but starts to leave clues as to where he has gone. As he tries to work out where his brother is hiding, Rafa is drawn into BB’s world and all that that entails and before long is headed to a location beyond his wildest dreams. With his normally quiet life threatening to spiral completely out of control, can Rafa use his new role to help him find Cillian and put everything right, or is he destined to swap his family for a lifestyle he could never previously have dreamed of?

Whether or not their family is in a similar situation to Rafa’s, young readers will empathise deeply with him when he loses the home in which he feels safe and secure to go to live with Uncle Miles, who has zero experience of – or interest in – parenting. Trying to put on a brave face because he has little option to do otherwise, when Rafa joins Ms Greenwood’s nurture group he is made to feel welcome and valued which enables him not just to cope with his new situation but, unexpectedly, to thrive. As we watch his progress through the narrative, he finds himself in more and more peculiar circumstances, leading to some very funny parts of the story, which will delight those picking this up and at the same time give them much to think on, including some very subtle exploration of gender identity.

The electronic advance copy of the book that I was lucky enough to read didn’t have Steven Lenton’s finished artwork in it but the rough, for want of a better word, illustrations that were included were wonderful and will go a long way towards making this an even more popular read than it would have been with just Mr Cottrell-Boyce’s name on the cover to tempt readers to pick it up.

Huge fun, my enormous thanks go to publisher Pan Macmillan and to NetGalley for my virtual, advance read. The Blockbusters publishes in hardback on May 15th.

Holy Moly! I’m not going to lie, the storytelling in this book is epic! Frank Cottrell-Boyce’s writing shines brighter than an LED and his latest middle grade novel, The Blockbusters! is more entertaining than a multiplex full of Oscar winners! This author has a unique talent for combining jokes, wisdom, and human relationships with a warmth and kindness that bring a smile to your face, new ideas to your brain and a glow to your heart.

The story opens with a cutting from the Hollywood Reporter. Breaking news from the Oscar ceremony: child acting sensation Beatrice Bonnie’s (BB’s) award for best supporting actress was accepted by an imposter!

Then we cut to Rafa Rush, recounting the ‘actual story’ not the ‘movie version’ of how he and the nurture group from Star of the Sea primary school found themselves on a film set thanks to their smart talking, Shakespeare loving, teacher, Ms Greenwood. Having taken the small group to visit a local Shakespeare theatre, she is not deterred by the barriers erected by the film studio who have turned the theatre into a movie set. Before you can yell ‘action’ Rafa steps into the role of body double for famous child star BB and the accidental school trip transports teacher and pupils from their ordinary lives in Birkenhead to the glitzy, pampered world of Hollywood stardom, with hilarious consequences.

This story is a love letter to films and the film industry, a creative medium in which this country (and this author) excels. I listened to Frank Cottrell-Boyce discussing his desire to encourage children to consider careers in the film industry during his guest-edited edition of the Today programme on Chistmas Eve last year. He does this brilliantly in The Blockbusters! introducing many of the roles which contribute to film-making through memorable characters who will engage children’s imaginations. The nurture group are a wonderful central cast: Blunt Mabel who has decided to always tell the truth regardless of consequences; Alvin Popcorn who has an encyclopaedic knowledge of blockbuster movies; the endlessly questioning Quiz and the quietly heroic Ms Greenwood. Rafa himself is a character that everyone will warm to; temporarily living with his elder brother Cillian at Uncle Miles’ flat while their mum is trying to sort out their housing problem, he is bright, friendly and determined to make the best of his opportunities.

The narrative is structured as scenes rather than chapters, with Rafa guiding the reader as to how particular episodes would be presented in the filmed version. The plot and dialogue are perfectly pitched for maximum enjoyment by both adult and child readers; this is a book which demands to be read as a bedtime story or a class read aloud. This story is noticeably shorter than previous books by this author, which I am sure will also make it appealing for children aged 8-12 to select to read independently. Once they get started, the vivid plot and laughs on every page will likely bedazzle them. In this shorter length story, not a word is wasted, from the opening page little clues are planted which foreshadow later revelations, and all the strands mesh together to form a heartwarming picture of family and friendship.

I loved the portrayal of Ms Greenwood. She brilliantly represents so many caring, passionate and intelligent educators working in our schools. Her quirky speech patterns, heavily influenced by her devotion to The Bard, add a unique flavour to the book and gently introduce young readers to language that they will recognise in later years when they start their GCSE courses. Some of the plot twists, especially around mistaken identity and subsequent misunderstandings are also Shakespearean in nature. In my opinion, her assertion early on that the children in her care would never end up in someone’s junk folder, set her up as a heroine worthy of any Shakespeare play.

I read an eARC provided by NetGalley which contained unfinished artwork. However, I have no doubt that illustrator Steve Lenton will depict the situations and characters with his usual panache in the finished book, which is available for pre-order now. I strongly urge you to read it, it will make you happy! And that’s a wrap.