Nick Bland, Bling Jollygood (The (Fairly) Secret Files #1), HarperCollins AU. March 2025, 128 pp., RRP $9.99 (pbk) ISBN 9781460766712
Bling Jollywood is a new junior fiction series from Nick Bland, the Australian author of The Very Cranky Bear series. It stars the titular character, who is half penguin, half canary, and her motley crew of misfit animals (and one robot bunny) who are on a mission to save the world. Bling is a recently fired reporter, in denial, who learns that an egg-shaped comet is hurtling towards Earth. Together, her team bumble their way to the comet which turns out to be a giant egg…
Pitched at fans of Anh Do and David Walliams, there’s puns galore that might go over kid’s heads – i.e. The Hentagon. But the silly humour and cartoon-style line drawings will appeal. I particularly enjoyed the robot rabbit Roberta who didn’t realise she was a robot. Then our heroes trick their nemesis, General Doodle-doo into being adopted by a giant chicken.
Reviewed by Heather Gallagher
