R.A. Spratt, Shockingly Good Stories, Penguin Random House, July 2021, 240 pp., RRP $19.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781761043376
My family are largely unfamiliar with the character Friday Barnes, heroine of R. A. Spratt’s best-selling series of the same name. After reading Shockingly Good Stories we are regretting this unfamiliarity. Shockingly Good Stories features fractured fairy tales, Friday Barnes mysteries and anecdotes told by the world’s most glamorous flying pig, Nanny Piggins.
As my children have gotten older and developed their own reading tastes we have fallen out of the practice of me reading aloud to them at bedtime in favour of independent reading. When I received a copy of Shockingly Good Stories I figured it was time to reinstate the practice with our youngest (12 years old). As I read the stories aloud, there are twenty in total, a funny thing happened. First, the 14 year old joined us each night to listen to one of these curious, absurd and laugh out loud funny tales. Then, the 15 year old just happened to be in the same room when the stories were being read. And then one night as I was reading a particularly funny story and the kids cracked up laughing they were joined by their 50+ year old father! I think this title could definitely be described as fun for the whole family.
More than just a set of funny stories the book includes storytelling tips which range from the absurd to the practical. For example, noting that children are incapable of listening quietly during story time and suggesting the use of toffee, in particular Fantales because the wrappers also encourage literacy. Other tips sneakily provide story writing advice and encourage creative writing.
Despite loving the nonsensical and strange stories I was disappointed by the production quality of this book. There were a number of spelling errors and the font randomly switched between a standard font and a creative font. If these issues were fixed in future editions I would highly recommend this title to primary aged readers (7-12 years old).
Reviewed by Anne Varnes
