Spooky Weird by Anh Do
Ill. by Jules Faber. Weirdo series book 9. Scholastic, 2017.
ISBN 9781760276775
(Age: 7-9) Recommended. Themes: Halloween, Moving house, Friendship,
Humour. Spooky Weird! is the ninth humourous addition to
comedian Anh Do's WeirDo series. With the bold green, black
and white cartoon illustrations, the lenticular cover and the
creative and colourful text styles, this is a visually appealing
book. Anh Do understands the quirks, the unique problems faced by
this Asian family in an Australian situation.
With a Halloween focus, there are so many funny ideas for costumes,
toilet paper mummy, vending machine or a rocket ship. Of course,
Henry his friend has had some problems with previous outfits - he
has been a tree and a target with interesting consequences. Weir's
classmates are paired up and asked to create new costumes. Bella his
friend is bursting with ideas that are impractical; they spend time
in the Do garage looking for inspiration. Bella and Weir's green
balloon costumes are certainly different,
they both dress up as bunches of grapes.
Meanwhile the family is busy packing, they have to leave their
expensive rental property and move far away to a new affordable
suburb. Weir is devastated, he loves his friends and his classmates,
and it is the worst news ever.
Ahn Do loves to create student names that are funny puns. When
Granddad drops him off at his new school, he pretends to be named
Hans Some not Weirdo. His classmates also have some silly names,
Charles Nott and Goode Looking! Poor guy he cannot win, especially
when he trips over in front of the class because he's wearing his
dad's old shoes.
They celebrate Halloween with their friends collecting lollies and a
toothbrush and toothpaste from Mr. Do the dentist. With the help of
a missing parrot, the challenge presented by a nearby spooky house
and some creative thinking, the Do family celebrates Halloween and a
successful relocation.
This is another winner for Ahn Do, fans of the Weirdo series
will find Spooky Weird entertaining.
Rhyllis Bignell