Little, Brown Books For Young Readers ISBN 9781510201125 £5.99
My class of 7 and 8 year olds have recently introduced me to Frank Lampard’s series of Frankie’s Magic Football books. In Mammoth Mayhem, Charlie, his pesky older brother, his friends and their dads are off to a campsite for some quality time with a sleepover to celebrate Father’s Day. Charlie possesses a battered, old football with magical powers and the magic begins soon after their arrival in the campsite. The adventurous children are transported back to The Stone Age where they meet a boy whose dad has gone missing. After their heroic rescue of the father, they are chased by a woolly mammoth, which returns to the campsite with them and causes havoc. They manage to conceal the huge beast and return him to his proper place in history and are eventually applauded for leading the adults to a cave full of prehistoric paintings, which include an image of 4 children and their amazing, talking dog. The text in this chapter book is large, with double spacing. In each chapter there are a few simple line drawn illustrations. This book is a perfect inclusion in the class library as a pleasure read or as a text for paired reading. It will really appeal to children aged 7-9, with an interest in sport, history and adventure stories.
Eadaoin Macauley KS1 Teacher, Co. Down, N. Ireland