Would the Real Stanley Carrot Please Stand Up? by Rob Stevens is a funny and touching story about Stanley “Carrot” Harris who is short, tubby and has bright red hair explaining the nickname given to him by the schoolyard bully Sean Terry.
Stanley doesn’t exactly fit in with his family so when he receives a letter from his biological mother he is both excited yet annoyed at the prospect. He wants his mother to be impressed with him so that she feels sorry that she ever abandoned him at the hospital.
Stanley is worried that he isn’t appealing enough to wow his mother so he holds an audition for a ‘Wonder-kid,’ someone that is sporty, handsome, smart and confident. The opposite of what Stanley believes himself to be. But what Stanley doesn’t know is that his mother, Emma, worries that her son won’t like her!
Meanwhile Stanley has another problem on his hands; his teacher convinced him to read a poem at the school talent show. This is a great story about a boy realising his potential and taking charge of his life.
- Buy this book at the Guardian Bookshop