I lost count of how many times I laughed out loud reading this story. It was so brilliant!
If Scarlett Fife looses her temper one more time, her mum has promised to cancel their trip to Mega Awesome Sicky Fun World. So she is determined to keep it in, no matter how mean William U is to her, or how upset she is about missing out on the role she wants in the school play. The only problem is, when Scarlett tries to keep her anger bottled up inside, other things tend to explode instead...
This story was so much fun to read. Scarlett's voice is superbly strong throughout. She is reminiscent of Matilda and I think lots of young readers will like her just as much. The other characters are equally brilliant. Her best friend Maisie has some hilarious sayings and Scarlet's family were all wonderful (to the point where I couldn't pick a favourite). I also really liked Miss Pitt-Bull, who is introduced as if she is Trunchbull 2.0, but is anything but.
There are also some really serious messages about anger and how children should deal with it, but they're woven seamlessly into the humour of the story, so it never feels didactic or preachy.
I can't wait to start this all over again with my daughter, who I think will enjoy it just as much. It's a great story for adults and children to share, because there are a lot of jokes I think adults will find funnier than readers at the younger end of the age range, and other moments which children will probably favour. It works on two levels, like the best kids films (and what a brilliant film this would make!)
I was provided with an advanced copy of the Exploding Life of Scarlett Fife for review on NetGalley.
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