Monday 10 May 2021

Stunt Kid Seriously Stacks It!

Stunt Kid Seriously Stacks It! by Jack Heath, illustrated by Max Rambaldi (Scholastic Australia) PB RRP $17.99 ISBN: 9781760970598 

Reviewed by Dannielle Viera

Levi doesn’t want to be a stuntman. He doesn’t even want to be an actor. But that hasn’t stopped his dad from making him the star of an insane TV show called Kid Kablam – where Levi has to perform an increasingly risky series of death-defying stunts. Can Levi make his dad see sense before he has to tackle the most dangerous stunt of all: propelling a car over a pit of spikes?

Winner of the 2020 IBBY Ena Noël Award, Jack Heath is renowned for his action-packed middle-grade books. In Stunt Kid Seriously Stacks It!, he lightens the drama with layers of ludicrous humour that will leave kids wanting more. Cleverly balancing the extreme exploits with utterly preposterous elements – including a talking police horse, a wannabe supervillain and a cast of eccentric townspeople – Jack tickles his readers’ funny bone with the entertaining feather of farce.

Perfectly matching the tone of the text, Max Rambaldi’s black and white illustrations bring to life the kooky characters and wacky escapades for the young readers. The images are similar in style to Quentin Blake’s dynamic cartoons, and they add to the amusing absurdity that streams from the pages.

From the boat explosion at the beginning to the heart-warming ending, Stunt Kid Seriously Stacks It! is a roller-coaster ride full of energy and emotion. Regardless of whether youngsters are gasping or giggling as they read the story, one thing is for sure – they won’t be putting down this hilarious book in a hurry.

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