The Kaboom Kid: Playing up by David Warner with J.S. Black

Simon & Schuster, 2014. ISBN 9781925030808
(Age: 9+) Highly recommended. Great selections of books are being written for sport-minded boys and The Kaboom Kid: Playing up is another one to add to that selection. These books take the action of a sport, a popular player, add a storyline and a few images and create an engaging novel for those reluctant readers who would rather be outside playing. Australian cricketer, David Warner, adds his name and experience to this story and the main character is little 'Davey Warner'. He is 11 years old and is a cricket crazy kid who just wants to play cricket. I'm pretty sure every teacher has a similar student, the one who talks nothing but cricket (or football or soccer). This book is for them.
Davey has just lost his lucky bat, Kaboom, after using it in class. It has been confiscated by his grumpy teacher. Davey can't play cricket without his lucky bat and there are local cricket selectors coming to observe him play. Plan? Get Kaboom back no matter the consequences! Will Davey get his bat back in time or should he listen to his older brother's endless and annoying advice and start getting used to different bats?
The Kaboom Kid is a quick moving novel with easy to read, descriptive text. It is full of cricket lingo and is highly recommended for boys aged 9+.
Kylie Kempster