Mr Bambuckle’s Remarkables: Fightback by Tim Harris
Illustrated by James Hart
Published by Penguin Books Australia
Date: 29 January 2018
R.R.P. $14.99
He is the teacher that every child wants, I certainly would have loved him when I was in school. I know for sure Mr Bambuckle would have made me feel confident and able because he is whimsical, magical, silly, imaginative and a whole lot mysterious, but most of all you know he’s got your back.
Mr Bambuckle has been told to leave the school and the class in room 12B have a new teacher…Miss Frost. Miss Frost’s motto is discipline, order and being grumpy all of the time, quite the opposite of the wonderful and carefree Mr Bumbuckle. Mostly, Miss Frost is up to no good and colluding with the principle, Mr Sternblast. During this unsettling time, the magical Mr Bambuckle uses his mysterious ways with the students to be allowed to teach again, and uncover the secret plans of Miss Frost and principle Sternblast. While class 12b ever have breakfast cooked for them by their teacher again? Will whimsy be restored and learning be enjoyable again? Or will Miss Frost forever be the teach for class 12b?
There is no denying this book is fun, and looking at it from the perspective of an adult I feel like it teaches us that sometimes we need to step back and make learning fun because we all learn differently. We all need a dose of Mr Bambuckle!
I like that there are a little snippets throughout the book that break the chapters up a bit. This includes profiles of the students in room 12b, illustrations, pages from notebooks about ridiculous uses for cake and conversations between Canteen Carol and Mr Bambuckle. Each give are a unique addition to the plot and break the chapters up for the challenged reader.
This book would be a fun read aloud in the classroom, imagine how much laughter there would be from students hearing their teacher read about teachers, especially one who cooks their students breakfast and is magical.
I highly recommend this read and while there are many funny books out in the market at the moment for this age group, this is right on top as one of the best. I like the idea of children being able to read fun books that make them laugh and bring them joy. It is a really exciting time for children’s chapter books so stay tuned for more soon.
Happy Reading.
Allison
Thank you Penguin Books Australia for the opportunity to read and review this book.
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