Review: Darcy Burdock: Hi So Much by Laura Dockrill

Ten-year-old Darcy sees the extraordinary in the everyday and the wonder in the world around her. This second book sees Darcy move-up to Big School - and all of a sudden EVERYTHING changes. Her best friend Will isn't sure he should talk to girls anymore, her new teacher may in actual fact be a cauldron-bubbling witch and, horror of horrors, her precious pet Lamb-Beth goes missing. Can Darcy face these challenges head-on, armed only with her curious, whip-smart mind and eye for a story?

Warning: this review is likely to include huge amounts of gushing and could possibly cause you to overdose on superlatives! Yes, Darcy Burdock: Hi So Much is flippin' brilliant. In fact, impossible it may seem to all who have read the first Darcy Burdock book, this follow-up is even brillianter.

Laura Dockrill's debut book for children, Darcy Burdock, was my Book of the Year for 2013 and I have been waiting impatiently for this sequel ever since and so the moment I saw it appear on Netgalley I immediately clicked on the request button. This was a Saturday so I had to endure more suffering until my request was approved on Monday, but then I downloaded it and read it from cover to cover. It was exactly what the doctor ordered (I've been suffering from man flu since last Wednesday) and it was the perfect pick-me-up. It is better than the first book is pretty much every way - funnier, (even) more imaginative, more touching... the list goes on and on.

The book begins with five chapters of pure, unadulterated, delightful Darcy-ness, as we are reintroduced to Darcy and her family. And it is a truly lovely family - not the kind you see in many children's books as their relationships with each other are warm, and fuzzy and very, very loving Darcy, and chez Burdock there isn't a villainous adult anywhere in sight. Not even a grumpy old grandparent (gran is just as much fun as the rest of the family). However, all is not fine and dandy in Darcy's world as she is totally dreading her imminent start at 'Big School'. She is worried about the big kids, the homework and the uniform (the shoes, in particular, are a major concern as they are so... 'dompy'). In fact, all the things that every 11-year-old worries about just before they start 'Big School'. Naturally, Darcy tries to come to terms with this massive change in her life by writing a story - about a friendless and insecure creature called 'the Dompy'.

Darcy Burdock: Hi So Much is a book that should be essential reading for every child about to start at secondary school. It covers so many different issues that cause stress and upset for children at this significant moment in their growing up: friendships (making new friends and also how to cope when long-time friendships start to falter, especially when this is a girl/boy friendship); being true to yourself and not trying to be someone you're not, just to impress new people; and prejudice. 

This latter one may seem like a meaty subject for a Darcy Burdock book, but it is obviously something that Laura Dockrill feels very strongly about. When Darcy is selected to work on the school's on the merit of the quality of her creative writing (a first for a Year 7), a rather odious boy does little but mock Darcy and pigeon-hole her as a useless girl who can surely have little to offer but useless opinions on hair and make-up. In a world where it is becoming increasingly difficult to enter any supermarket these days without seeing aisles of toys labelled 'Toys for Boys' or 'Toys for Girls', and children therefore having the age old stereotypes enforced on them from such a young age, it is a delight to see this handled so cleverly in a book for 9+ kids.

Another stand-out message that is delivered to kids in this book, without ever being preachy, is that it is fine to follow your dream or your passion in life. in Darcy's case, this is writing, and she gets nothing but encouragement from every adult in her life. More than this, she is actively encouraged to deal with the various turmoils in her life by using her writing as the means to a solution to each problem that comes her way. For another child it might be dance, music, sport, reading, painting - whatever the interest is should be nurtured and encouraged (making this an ideal read for parents as well). So many more kids would be happier with their lives if their parents showed the same attitude and support that Darcy's show to her.

I re-read the first Darcy Burdock book several times last year - occasionally for medicinal purposes - and I have a feeling that this follow-up is going to share a similar fate over the next twelve months (unless we are fortunate enough to have a third book sooner than that - rumour has it there may be a book 3 out in July). If you have a 9+ child who is yet to discover Darcy Burdock then you MUST get these books into their hands asap - boy or girl it really doesn't matter - and make sure you have a read once they have finished. You really won't regret it!

Happy Roald Dahl Day - Guest Post by Laura Dockrill

As a teacher I obviously don't have favourite students (because that would be very bad indeed). I hope that rule doesn't apply to bloggers because if it does then I'm guilty as hell. I've met a good few authors since I started blogging, and I have to confess that I do indeed have a favourite, and that is the gloriumptious Laura Dockrill. If you have not yet been to one of Laura's events then you are a frothbungling human bean - Laura has visited my school twice in the last year and every time she has cast her magic spell over the audience and had them in the palm of her hand (she has also twice publicly stitched me up in front of the audience, but I've forgiven her for that). Seriously though, if Laura is appearing in a town near you get your backside along, take your kids, and their friends, and their friends' parents and their friends' parents' friends and their.... you will not regret it, I promise.

Knowing that Laura has a special place in her heart for the amazing Roald Dahl I asked her if she would be interested in writing a short piece for The Book Zone to help me commemorate Roald Dahl Day today. And naturally, Laura being the star that she is, she said yes, this despite her being busy writing, eventing and blogging for The Book Trust as their online writer in residence.

Over to Laura:

I speak about Roald Dahl everyday. I like to think he looks down on me from the clouds or wherever he resides these days and thinks, ‘ah, bless’ but he probably doesn’t. He is probably thinking, ‘Oh, honey, girlfriend, give it a bloody rest and shut up.’ Because I do sometimes need to shut up about it. But I cant.

I am a superfan.

Roald Dahl taught me to like books. Just like how David Bowie and The Beatles and The Spice Girls ALL taught me how to like music. You need that figure to guide you, to hold your hand, to nurture you and teach you and say ‘I think you’ll enjoy this.’ And you trust them. When I used to read Roald Dahl’s work I used to be fully transported to bliss. My brain would work like clockwork, cranking and moving and churning and creating and imagining the vision of every line of words I was reading. I never felt insulted, or patronized, or babied or challenged. I felt exactly right and natural, as if Dahl and I were working together, cooking a really excellent story up at the same time and pace. Yet at the same time, I also felt somehow compelled, exhilarated, enchanted and charged, waiting for the next unexpected route or diversion, ready for him to switch on the next unlikely candidate. That’s what I liked. Dahl wasn’t a newsreader writer, he wasn’t fair or just. He never stood back and let the horror unfold, he indulged in it.

Now. I read Dahl’s work and I am sick with jealousy. Sometimes I can trick my brain, because the stories are so captivating, and let myself be lulled by the wonder. But I’ll soon snap out of it and get sick again and have to give myself a small cuddle and think, one day. One day. You might manage to scratch the surface on this. One day. But today is still a day and not the one I’m after and I have no nails to scratch with… just yet. Besides, I quite like just being a superfan. Watching from afar, because without idols, there is nothing to dream for. And there is nothing worse than that.

~~~

Jumpsquiffling thanks to Laura for taking time out to write that for us. If you have not yet read her debut book for children, Darcy Burdock, then you need to go out and buy it right now. It's one of my favourite books of 2013 and I can't wait to read the sequel. although I'm going to have to as it isn't out until next year.

Review: Darcy Burdock by Laura Dockrill

Introducing Darcy Burdock, a new, cool, all-conquering girl character with a fresh and distinctive take on the world.

Ten-year-old Darcy is one of life's noticers. Curious, smart-as-a-whip, funny and fiercely loyal, she sees the extraordinary in the everyday and the wonder in the world around her.

Britain finally has an answer to Jeff Kinney and his Wimpy Kid! Many have tried, but few have come close in my opinion, but come next March the trials and tribulations of Greg Heffley will be consigned to bargain bins in book stores across the UK. There will only be one name on everyone's lips, and that is Darcy Burdock. (OK make that two names as Darcy's creator, Laura Dockrill, is certainly not someone who will be easily overlooked and/or forgotten).

Before I say any more about Darcy Burdock I feel I need to make a couple of things clear. This blog is called is The Book Zone (For Boys), but this does not mean that the books I review are only for boys. Far from it, and I know that there are many girls who read and comment on this blog. The point of this blog is to showcase books that boys should find interesting and fun to read, and many of these are just as suitable for girls. Darcy Burdock is possibly a book that some may be a little surprised to find reviewed here, but bear with me and I will let my love this this book be fully explained. Secondly, I very rarely post reviews so far ahead of publication date, but the lovely people at Red Fox are so excited about this book that they are happy for reviews to start appearing now.

I first heard about Darcy Burdock when I met the book's writer and illustrator, Laura Dockrill, at the Random House Bloggers' Brunch earlier this year. Laura read a few pages to us, and I was immediately hooked, even though I had initially thought it might not be a book that would sit well on my blog. I couldn't have been more wrong - just two pages from Laura and I knew I had to read this book when it was published. Thanks to the lovely people at Red Fox I haven't had to wait until February, as a proof copy landed on my door mat just a couple of weeks ago, and I pretty much dropped everything to read it.

Darcy Burdock is not written in diary format, but most of it is written in first person and Darcy's voice will have you crying tears of laughter within the first few pages. The best word I can come up with to describe the way Darcy tells her story is 'RANDOM' - as you read it you can't help but imagine the "ten but so nearly eleven" year old girl standing in front of you, talking at a thousand words a second, her mind making massive leaps from subject to subject. She twists words around and makes up her own (Angrosaurus Rex, mermalade, kneebows). And best of all, she notices everything, which means her descriptions of life and the people she encounters are to die for. I can't remember the last time I read a first person narrative where the character sounded so real from the very first page, and I guarantee that masses of children  and probably adults too, will fall head over heels for Darcy come next March.

There are parts of the book that aren't written in Darcy's voice, as she also includes some of her own stories. You see, Darcy desperately wants to be a writer, and when something affects her, be it making her angry or sad, she invariably turns to her coveted notebook and turns her thoughts into a story. And wonderfully, these add to the appeal of the book rather than distract the reader from Darcy's ramblings, as her writing voice is just as funny and endearing.

I'm going to be shouting about this book for some time as I really think that it has huge boy appeal - it is certainly NOT a girly book. I guess that the marketing for Darcy Burdock will be somewhat more girl oriented than boy friendly, but I really hope that this book finds its way into the hands of just as many boys as girls, as I reckon the 8+ age group will love it. It is also a fab read-by-parent-at-bedtime book as well, although I'm not sure anyone could read it out loud as well as the author, so let's hope that Laura's desire for it to be released as an audio book, read by her, is realised.

Darcy Burdock is scheduled to be published on 28th February 2013, and if you haven't heard of Laura Dockrill before now then expect her to become a household name sometime in the next year. I hear from the people at Random House that Laura will be appearing all over the place in 2013, and if she is doing an event in a town near you then make sure you get along to it as I know that you love every minute of it. In the meantime, you can follow Laura and Darcy on Twitter (@LauraDockrill and @DarcyBurdock). To find out more about Laura you can visit her website at http://www.lauradockrill.co.uk/