The Brilliant World of Tom Gates (Read it and go ha ha ha :-) )
Excellent Excuses (and other good stuff)
Everything's Amazing (sort of)
Genius Ideas (Mostly)
Tom Gates is Absolutely Fantastic (at some things)
So, this is my first attempt at a book review. I will admit now that I haven’t actually read all of these, so this is taken from my 8 year olds opinions and the pieces I have read / have had read to me.
The most recent addition to the series “Absolutely Fantastic” was given to my son for his 8th Birthday and since then, he hasn’t been able to put them down. He enjoyed it so much he spent a chunk of his Birthday money buying a box set of 4 more.
This series of books, which are aimed at children 9 + years are written in a journal style by a young boy named Tom Gates. He writes about his home and school life and includes his laugh out loud thoughts, excuses and antics with Derek, his best friend and neighbor, Marcus Meldrew, the most annoying boy at school, Amy Porter, who he sits next to at school and it always trying to impress, his form tutor, Mr Fullerman, his big sister Delia and his interactions with his parents.
The characters are very funny and my son can relate to them well. He often talks about them in general conversation and tells me if he thinks something is sad or funny.
The pages are full of brilliant pictures and word art (drawn by Tom) to accompany his narratives, which makes these books even more fun and very easy to read. It holds my sons attention well and I know when he’s reading them because he laughs out loud all the way through. He will even come and find me to read me excerpts that he finds exceptionally brilliant. I have often found myself picking the books up once my sons gone to bed and flicking through, and it appeals to my sense of humour too, especially the parts about the parents, which I can relate too well. For example, here is one small conversation between Tom and Derek that made me smile. “Derek warns me …. if my dad ever says to you “have to heard of this band, Tom?” Say YES” “What happens if I say no?” I ask. “You’ll be forced to listen to crackly old records FOR EVER”.
I think they are good fun and pretty much sums up all aspects of family, home and school life through the eyes of a child. I love these books and it gives me great pleasure in seeing my son reading and enjoying them.
I totally recommend any young readers to read these books. Also, in my opinion this is a great series to encourage children who aren’t usually a fan of reading to show an interest. Any child who likes Diary of a Wimpy Kid will LOVE these too!
There is one more we need to get to complete the set; Best Book Day Ever! (so far) (World Book Day Edition 2013) which I have ordered today and we are really looking forward to the next installment too “Extra Special Treat (not)” which we have already pre-ordered from Amazon.
Information and Synopsis taken from Amazon
The Brilliant World of Tom Gates (Read
it and go ha ha ha J )
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1407120697
ISBN-13: 978-1407120690
Synopsis When my teacher, Mr Fullerman, doesn’t have his BEADY EYES on me, I like to draw pictures and write stories about stuff – like when we had the worst holiday ever (camping sucks), and when my parents came to school for parents’ evening (groan), and about how Marcus Meldrew is the most annoying boy in the world and how I don’t want to sit next to him in class. All I want to do is get tickets to see the best band ever, DUDE3, when they come to town. It’s not easy when I’m up against Delia, my weirdo big sister, and all my plans seem to get me into MAJOR TROUBLE.
Excellent Excuses (and other good stuff)
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Scholastic; 1 edition (1 Sep 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1407124404
ISBN-13: 978-1407124407
Synopsis No school for two whole weeks leaves Tom with heaps of time for the important things in life. Yeah! He can forget all about lessons and the irritating Marcus Meldrew, and save his energy for good stuff! Stuff like: inventing new ways to annoy his sister Delia. (So many). Band practice for the Dogzombies – rock stars in the making! Watching TV and eating caramel wafers; eating caramel wafers and watching TV. Excellent! But clouds are gathering on the horizon in the form of Tom’s weirdo big sister Delia. And when trouble collides with his brilliant plans, he’ll need all his excellent excuses...
Everything's Amazing (sort of)
Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Scholastic; 1 edition (1 Mar 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1407124412
ISBN-13: 978-1407124414
Synopsis Back to school, but it's not all bad. Sports Day, the school fair and Tom's birthday are all coming up. And even better, his awful big sister Delia won't be at any of those events! On the downside, Granny Mavis is threatening to make his birthday cake - uh oh! But on the other hand, Mr Keen has asked Dogzombies to perform in front of the whole school! YEAH! Maybe they can even play at the school disco too. How can the term turn out any less than seriously amazing?
Genius Ideas (Mostly)
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Scholastic; 1 edition (6 Sep 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1407134507
ISBN-13: 978-1407134505
Synopsis Seeing Delia without her sunglasses on is a BIG shock for Tom, but that's nothing compared with the surprise that Dad has in store with his new-found fitness regime! He says he's going to compete at the school Sports Day. Can you even imagine the horrendous shame that will bring? Meanwhile Tom, Derek and Norman are also busy with a training regime of their own - practising with Dogzombies to make sure they're ready for the school talent show. The highs and lows of Tom's life are funnier and more extreme than ever in this fourth wicked diary from the Roald Dahl Funny Prize winning series!
Tom Gates is Absolutely Fantastic (at some things)
Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Scholastic; 1 edition (4 April 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1407134515
ISBN-13: 978-1407134512
Synopsis: This takes the form of Tom's battered homework diary - crammed with his doodles and stories. "Exciting News! Mr Fullerman announces that class 5F are going on an 'Activity Break'! Which should be fun. As long as I don't get stuck in a group with anyone who snores or worse still with . . . . . . Marcus Meldrew. Delia is already threatening to paint my room funny colours while I'm away. Which is annoying. I just hope the only surprise I have when I get home is the new pet that I hear Mum and Dad talking about. Because I've always wanted a pet!"
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Scholastic; 1 edition (4 April
2011) Language: English
ISBN-10: 1407120697
ISBN-13: 978-1407120690
Synopsis When my teacher, Mr Fullerman, doesn’t have his BEADY EYES on me, I like to draw pictures and write stories about stuff – like when we had the worst holiday ever (camping sucks), and when my parents came to school for parents’ evening (groan), and about how Marcus Meldrew is the most annoying boy in the world and how I don’t want to sit next to him in class. All I want to do is get tickets to see the best band ever, DUDE3, when they come to town. It’s not easy when I’m up against Delia, my weirdo big sister, and all my plans seem to get me into MAJOR TROUBLE.
Excellent Excuses (and other good stuff)
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Scholastic; 1 edition (1 Sep 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1407124404
ISBN-13: 978-1407124407
Synopsis No school for two whole weeks leaves Tom with heaps of time for the important things in life. Yeah! He can forget all about lessons and the irritating Marcus Meldrew, and save his energy for good stuff! Stuff like: inventing new ways to annoy his sister Delia. (So many). Band practice for the Dogzombies – rock stars in the making! Watching TV and eating caramel wafers; eating caramel wafers and watching TV. Excellent! But clouds are gathering on the horizon in the form of Tom’s weirdo big sister Delia. And when trouble collides with his brilliant plans, he’ll need all his excellent excuses...
Everything's Amazing (sort of)
Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Scholastic; 1 edition (1 Mar 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1407124412
ISBN-13: 978-1407124414
Synopsis Back to school, but it's not all bad. Sports Day, the school fair and Tom's birthday are all coming up. And even better, his awful big sister Delia won't be at any of those events! On the downside, Granny Mavis is threatening to make his birthday cake - uh oh! But on the other hand, Mr Keen has asked Dogzombies to perform in front of the whole school! YEAH! Maybe they can even play at the school disco too. How can the term turn out any less than seriously amazing?
Follow Tom on his third set of cheeky and doodle-tastic adventures in this
Roald Dahl Funny Prize winning series!
Genius Ideas (Mostly)
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Scholastic; 1 edition (6 Sep 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1407134507
ISBN-13: 978-1407134505
Synopsis Seeing Delia without her sunglasses on is a BIG shock for Tom, but that's nothing compared with the surprise that Dad has in store with his new-found fitness regime! He says he's going to compete at the school Sports Day. Can you even imagine the horrendous shame that will bring? Meanwhile Tom, Derek and Norman are also busy with a training regime of their own - practising with Dogzombies to make sure they're ready for the school talent show. The highs and lows of Tom's life are funnier and more extreme than ever in this fourth wicked diary from the Roald Dahl Funny Prize winning series!
Tom Gates is Absolutely Fantastic (at some things)
Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Scholastic; 1 edition (4 April 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1407134515
ISBN-13: 978-1407134512
Synopsis: This takes the form of Tom's battered homework diary - crammed with his doodles and stories. "Exciting News! Mr Fullerman announces that class 5F are going on an 'Activity Break'! Which should be fun. As long as I don't get stuck in a group with anyone who snores or worse still with . . . . . . Marcus Meldrew. Delia is already threatening to paint my room funny colours while I'm away. Which is annoying. I just hope the only surprise I have when I get home is the new pet that I hear Mum and Dad talking about. Because I've always wanted a pet!"
