Charlie Rudge is a Newcastle United football supporter – everyone else in his family supports South End on Sea where they reside. The Rudges all have a passion for football. Charlie has lots of friends at his school, so he is devastated because his family are relocating to a farm house in Scotland where they are looking forward to living a rural life as farmers. At the outset of Charlie’s new life in Scotland one of their lambs is born with rare markings. This new sheep, Alan Shearer, leads Charlie into making difficult decisions and mayhem ensues.
This book is full of laughs (including Uncle Martin’s hilarious obsession with Michael Bublé). The plot is crazy and the characters are everyday people in a heightened, kooky reality. Charlie’s reckless big brother is constantly getting on the wrong side of the law, so there are serious lessons to be learnt along the way amongst the fun. Villains, Brains, Brauns, Saul and Mr Hoskins are equally dastardly and treacherous by turns and keep the plot moving along at a fast pace.
I would recommend this book to boys and girls age 8 to 12 years who enjoy an action filled family caper with lots of giggles. Herd the news (geddit?). Go check it out or you’ll miss the fun!
- Buy this book at the Guardian Bookshop
