Matt Stanton, Unstoppable! (Fluff #3), HarperCollins Publishers, December 2024, 208 pp., RRP $16.99 (pbk), ISBN 9780733342097
This third instalment in the Fluff series is exactly what we’d come to expect from Matt Stanton: lots of laugh out loud moments with a few welcome interruptions of heartfelt warmth.
I said in reviews for previous books in this series, but I still think the openings Matt has devised for each story is a master stroke. As we read about what Gilbert’s dad might be doing, readers are immediately taken into a world where they aren’t quite sure what is real and what is in Gilbert’s imagination. What we do know for sure is that Gilbert is a whole-hearted narrator with powerful storytelling skills.
The dedication of this book – to Matt’s grandparents – foreshadows the main antics Gilbert will get up to. This time ‘round, Gilbert meets some elderly folks at a boot camp, and decides he’s going to enter the Seniors Games disguised as his grandpa, Gordon Morris. Gilbert is determined that he is going to win something, and he’s pretty confident that he’ll have a fighting chance if everyone he’s competing against already has at least 80 years under their belt.
I love that this story features elderly characters who are fighting fit and active. It’s not a very common occurrence in children’s stories. Too often elderly characters in children’s books are forgetful, doddery and crotchety, and the story is based on them needing to be reminded how to be nice to children or to live a more fulfilling life. Here we see Gilbert inspired by the oldies to compete and live large.
Another strong release from Matt that will be loved by children and the lucky parents who get to share these books with them.
Reviewed by Cherie Bell