Forbidden Journal of Rufus Rumble #2

Forbidden Journal of Rufus Rumble #2 by Nick Long (Affirm Press) Junior Fiction ISBN13: 9781922863959  RRP $17.99

Reviewed by Jude Mullen

Get ready for an hilarious space (mis)adventure with a zany cast of characters.

In this second book of the Rufus Rumble Junior Fiction series, 11-year-old Rufus and the “worst space crew ever” have landed on the very inhospitable planet of Noffle, where there are no waffles. What could be worse than no waffles? Well, a lot actually.

Desperately trying to repair their rocket before the Big Pumpkin Festival so they won’t be locked up by the Noffles, Rufus and the crew face a barrage of challenges, chaos and craziness. They fight off an angry dragon with mud balls flung by a pineapple picker; climb a mountain made of teeth that threatens to swallow them; and are repeatedly spat on by an “attack-alpaca”. The tension ramps up as their deadline approaches, but for Rufus the stakes are even higher – he needs to find his missing mother, whom he now believes may have been kidnapped by the Throwbacker Government.

 As soon as readers lay eyes on this book they will be drawn in by the striking gold lettering on the cover, the irresistible title, the friendly hand-written graffiti-style font and the comic, cartoon-like drawings scattered throughout the text. They will want to begin reading at once, and when they do, they will be hooked.

The playful and creative language, whacky but relatable characters and page-turning plot make this an ideal book for young readers who love action, adventure and craziness. I see this mashup of Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Kinney) and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Dent) especially appealing to children aged around 7 – 9 years who are transitioning from graphic novels to more prose dense texts. This book ends on a cliffhanger, leaving fans desperate for the next instalment.  Let’s hope they won’t have to wait too long.