Mr Bambuckle's Remarkables fight back by Tim Harris

Random House, 2018. ISBN 9780143785873
(Age: 8-12) Recommended. Things are looking dire for the students in 12B. Their teacher Miss Frost lives up to her name with her cold demeanour and extreme discipline. Principal Mr Sternblast supports her strict classroom regime. What hope is there for 12B who are missing the flamboyant and caring Mr Bambuckle?
A mysterious message results in Miss Frost being transported across the world and the return of Mr Bambuckle himself, with his unicycle, eggs, bacon and fun teaching.
We get to know more about the 15 students (the 15 includes the perpetually absent Peter Strayer) in the class, their fears, likes and families. Each student is highlighted in an information box at the beginning of the book. There are interesting inserts in the story, such as notes passed between the students, conversations in voice bubbles and examples of homework efforts.
The novel has a bright, attractive cover featuring Mr Bambuckle and his students. James Hart's illustrations are also interspersed throughout the novel.
This book follows the first novel Mr Bambuckle's Remarkables, which has been selected as one of the 2018 CBCA notables. The short list had not been released at the time of writing this review.
The children of 12B help each other and Mr Bambuckle encourages and supports his students when they are in need. It is a crazy, unpredictable and often hilarious novel.
Author Tim Harris, is a teacher and has an intimate knowledge of a classroom and its workings. He is known for his series of books Exploding Endings, described as short stories with an unpredictable end.
I recommend this book to 8 to 12 year olds.
A fun book trailer is available at this site.
Jane Moore