Scan barcode
katykelly's review against another edition
5.0
Such fun. Glad I read this just before Fathers' Day as it would be a great read for a dad and his son.
I love Phil Earle, read a few others for older readers and this is an excellent read for a slightly younger (pre-teen) market. It's a portrait of a very loving father-son relationship and the lengths we go to for the ones we love. It's also hilarious with wonderful illustrations (it's not only Quentin Blake and Tony Ross who can put so much humour and warmth into their characters) and I love the narrator's way of talking to the reader, very naturally but with humour.
Jake admires his dad, he thinks he's the best. Not only is his day job cool - he demolishes buildings - but at the weekends, he's a secret wrestler, beating all local challengers with his son and greatest fan for a coach. Jake thinks he's got a good chance of winning a competition to face the best wrestler in America, so he and his friends film him secretly and enter him in the contest. But even if he wins, will this small fish cope in a bigger pond? Will fame and success be easy to reach? Will George Biggs, the Demolition Man still have his son's respect and love?
The story doesn't quite go where you expect at first, but I loved it for that. Earle doesn't go for the stereotypes either - ex-airline hostess Mum is clearly dying of boredom at home, Dad a frustrated builder eating himself into misery, Jake blind to their adult needs but very sweetly trying to fix his family. His friends are underused (though they get a little more attention at the end) and are a good pair actually, with techie abilities that complement Jake and don't grate.
And as well as a great ending (I'm not saying exactly what happens though!), I loved the portrait of family life after the events of the book, and how the adults' lives are also taken into account, not just the children's.
You can see that Phil Earle has written for older children before, in scenes depicting adults not coping well with where their lives have gone. He doesn't go for lowest-common-denominator tricks of toilet humour (though I like that well enough in its place), but makes you feel for the Biggs family as a viewer.
The narrator talks to you just enough to not feel like it's a trick, and does it well:
"And so, the big day arrived, which was just as well, because:
a) I love this bit of the story, it gets properly juicy
b) My laptop's about to run out of battery so I need to type quickly..."
Boys will love this, and I hope girls too, but it IS a story that contains a fair few scenes of wrestling. It's about a son and his father. And knocking buildings down. I hope it's for anyone around 7-10 who likes funny, family stories, and would be a lovely read to share with this age group at bedtime or for teachers at the end of a school day.
I love Phil Earle, read a few others for older readers and this is an excellent read for a slightly younger (pre-teen) market. It's a portrait of a very loving father-son relationship and the lengths we go to for the ones we love. It's also hilarious with wonderful illustrations (it's not only Quentin Blake and Tony Ross who can put so much humour and warmth into their characters) and I love the narrator's way of talking to the reader, very naturally but with humour.
Jake admires his dad, he thinks he's the best. Not only is his day job cool - he demolishes buildings - but at the weekends, he's a secret wrestler, beating all local challengers with his son and greatest fan for a coach. Jake thinks he's got a good chance of winning a competition to face the best wrestler in America, so he and his friends film him secretly and enter him in the contest. But even if he wins, will this small fish cope in a bigger pond? Will fame and success be easy to reach? Will George Biggs, the Demolition Man still have his son's respect and love?
The story doesn't quite go where you expect at first, but I loved it for that. Earle doesn't go for the stereotypes either - ex-airline hostess Mum is clearly dying of boredom at home, Dad a frustrated builder eating himself into misery, Jake blind to their adult needs but very sweetly trying to fix his family. His friends are underused (though they get a little more attention at the end) and are a good pair actually, with techie abilities that complement Jake and don't grate.
And as well as a great ending (I'm not saying exactly what happens though!), I loved the portrait of family life after the events of the book, and how the adults' lives are also taken into account, not just the children's.
You can see that Phil Earle has written for older children before, in scenes depicting adults not coping well with where their lives have gone. He doesn't go for lowest-common-denominator tricks of toilet humour (though I like that well enough in its place), but makes you feel for the Biggs family as a viewer.
The narrator talks to you just enough to not feel like it's a trick, and does it well:
"And so, the big day arrived, which was just as well, because:
a) I love this bit of the story, it gets properly juicy
b) My laptop's about to run out of battery so I need to type quickly..."
Boys will love this, and I hope girls too, but it IS a story that contains a fair few scenes of wrestling. It's about a son and his father. And knocking buildings down. I hope it's for anyone around 7-10 who likes funny, family stories, and would be a lovely read to share with this age group at bedtime or for teachers at the end of a school day.
mehsi's review against another edition
4.0
Great book, but I expected more wrestling and less drama. Still a good book, and I would recommend it. :D
sarahj76's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
kcarri's review against another edition
4.0
Phil Earle is a phenomenal writer. Seriously. This book is funny and thrilling, tender and serious (ish) in all the ways it needs to be.
It's the story of a family, particularly of a father and son, but really it's also about a crumbling Northern town and how a chance at fame might turn its fortunes about. It wears it's politics on its sleeve even if that was never the intended focus.
Regardless of its simplicity politics ultimately this book is a fun, campy adventure about family, wrestling, and fame that is never far away from a sharp gag. It's brilliantly fun and well worth a spot on your child's (or your own) bookshelf!
It's the story of a family, particularly of a father and son, but really it's also about a crumbling Northern town and how a chance at fame might turn its fortunes about. It wears it's politics on its sleeve even if that was never the intended focus.
Regardless of its simplicity politics ultimately this book is a fun, campy adventure about family, wrestling, and fame that is never far away from a sharp gag. It's brilliantly fun and well worth a spot on your child's (or your own) bookshelf!
helendeu's review against another edition
4.0
A great read. My boys loved it. I enjoyed his writing style very much. Reminded me of Dahl. A comparison not made lightly.
pj1677's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
xan_48's review against another edition
4.0
I approached this with a little bit of trepidation as the author is an old friend of mine and I was worried about what would happen if I didn't like it but thankfully I did like it .... a lot!
Jake loves wrestling and his Dad does too. He's a big bear of a man and they begin a winning streak of small, local bouts. Jake's Dad becomes 'Demolition Man' only it's a secret and nobody knows his alter ego.
Then Jake enters his Dad into a Global Wrestling Contest. The bright lights, Vegas, money and glory are all calling. Jake is proud of his Dad and wants the World to be too.
Demolition Man V The Tsunami Terror and if he wins a glittering career awaits, but if he loses?
This is a wonderful book. It's characters are vivid and larger than life. The story grabs you like a grappling hook and whisks you in so that you too are cheering on Demolition Man.
It's a page turner as you can't wait to find out the fate of our hero. You don't have to like wrestling to like this book. It's a good romp of a tale with lots of heart and is packed full of easy going humour.
For 8+ and phew! I'm glad I liked it :-)
Jake loves wrestling and his Dad does too. He's a big bear of a man and they begin a winning streak of small, local bouts. Jake's Dad becomes 'Demolition Man' only it's a secret and nobody knows his alter ego.
Then Jake enters his Dad into a Global Wrestling Contest. The bright lights, Vegas, money and glory are all calling. Jake is proud of his Dad and wants the World to be too.
Demolition Man V The Tsunami Terror and if he wins a glittering career awaits, but if he loses?
This is a wonderful book. It's characters are vivid and larger than life. The story grabs you like a grappling hook and whisks you in so that you too are cheering on Demolition Man.
It's a page turner as you can't wait to find out the fate of our hero. You don't have to like wrestling to like this book. It's a good romp of a tale with lots of heart and is packed full of easy going humour.
For 8+ and phew! I'm glad I liked it :-)
mat_tobin's review against another edition
Although it took me a little while to get into Phil Earle's writing style (a cross between Mr. Gum, Tom Gates and Frank Cottrell Boyce) I thoroughly enjoyed Demolition Dad and know that kids will too. Remembering who the audience of the story is, Earle's book is funny in the traditional sense. There are plenty of wonderfully terrible jokes which children will enjoy and yet there is also a real sense of pathos too. It has heart and wit, doesn't take itself too seriously and yet, beneath the surface, it probably does.
yellowhighwaylines's review against another edition
4.0
A lovely, heartwarming story of family and friendship. Great narration and a great ensemble cast. Looking forward to reading more about the residents of Storey Street.
fijumanka0311's review against another edition
4.0
Moj tata je najjači/najveći/najbolji - izaberite sami. Sve je to poanta ove priče. Budući da je u pozadini hrvanje, možda će se više sviđati dečkima ali i djevojčicama bi moglo biti zabavno. A bilo je i meni :)