Matt Stanton, Snowballs (Funny Kid, #12), HarperCollins Publishers, November 2023, 288 pp., ISBN 9780733342004
Snowballs continues the popular stories of fun and high jinks with cheeky jokester, Max Walburt, who likes to be known as “Funny Kid”.
In this hilarious 12th book in the Funny Kid series, Max is thrilled to be having a holiday with his family and friends at an expensive snow resort, as guests of movie star, George Kahn. Best friend, Hugo, who is usually the butt of Max’s jokes, and bossy, sarcastic nemesis, Abby, are both there too.
But it isn’t all comfort and pleasure at this high-end resort. Max’s lack of experience with snow sports and his awkward attempts to impress a new love interest, lead to suspenseful and funny slapstick mishaps. For a change the jokes are on him. But things get somewhat serious when Hugo goes missing.
Snowballs has all the ingredients for an entertaining page turner. I chuckled through this very funny book, especially enjoying the banter between Max and Abby. At times it is also quite suspenseful, as when Max’s chairlift bungles become dangerous and when the friends try to find Hugo in a snowstorm. There’s also a little mystery – If Max isn’t the prankster this time, then who is pranking the friends? And even a philosophical question is considered – “What is the secret of happiness?”
Stanton’s humorous black line style cartoon drawings are brilliant at illustrating the slapstick scenarios and further developing the humorous cartoon-like characters, whilst also adding to the boisterous and playful tone.
The Funny Kid series is a perfect option for reluctant readers in the upper primary age group, as well as younger newly independent readers. With plenty of space between lines of text, lots of dialogue and illustrations throughout breaking up the text, they make for easy reading. They also have content relevant for a wide range of ages.
I highly recommend Funny Kid snowballs for 7-11 year olds.
Reviewed by Barbara Swartz