N J Gemmell, Coco Banjo and the Super Wow Surprise (Coco Banjo #3), Random House Australia, 4 Jan 2016, 192pp., $14.99 (pbk), ISBN: 9780857987372
Yippee!! The summer holidays are here and Coco’s mum is away again but she has organised a series of surprises for her daughter. Of course, Coco includes her best friend N in all her adventures.
The first box to arrive contains a tiny fluffy bundle and Coco falls in love immediately, naming him Ludo.
The next present is a Skip Back Machine, hidden in the house behind a secret door, which sends loving memories to Coco to help her cope with her mother’s absence.
The best and last gift are 2 tickets to a concert by Coco’s favourite pop star, Prince Louis. But N is not allowed to go to the performance so Coco foregoes her treat, decides to give away the tickets and organises an unusual raffle to do so. The most unexpected of her acquaintances win this opportunity but on the way Coco raises $1000 for the Tibetan earthquake appeal. And of course, because of her generosity, she is the winner in the long run.
This is an entertaining story, helped by the quirky pen and ink illustrations which add to the fun of reading. At times however I found the myriad of speech bubbles and unusual fonts a little distracting. I was also a bit disturbed by the lack of obvious adult care in Coco’s life, but we have to suspend belief in this series. This story is sure to appeal to those who have already discovered the escapades of Coco Banjo but it is likely also to attract new fans.
Reviewed by Maureen Mann