‘Archie’s Unbelievably Freaky Week’ and ‘ParaNorman’

For younger children
.

Archie’s Unbelievably Freaky Week

By Andrew Norris

ArchiesFreakyWeekAge: 7+

If you’re a bit accident-prone and feeling a bit bad about it, then wait till you read about Archie, who really is an accident waiting to happen. He can’t help it.

He arrives at school to find the dinner lady with her arm stuck in a drain but after a series of accidents, Archie becomes the one who is in deep trouble….

In just one week at school, he is accused of murder (wrongly, of course), gets trapped in the staff cloakroom without any clothes, gets mistaken for a dog and somehow manages to turn himself into a dog.

You should also look out for the poisonous spider and the Health and Safety Inspector who gets a toilet stuck on his head . . .

Lucky for Archie, his best friend Cyd is always there to sort out the mess. And somehow, almost by accident, everything turns out all right, kind of, in the end.

Published by David Fickling Books – £10.99

.

For older children
<

ParaNorman

By Elizabeth Cody Kimmel

ParanormanAge: 9+

Norman isn’t afraid of ghosts. They’re his friends – pretty much the only friends he has. And when a terrible witch’s curse unleashes a horde of zombies on his home-town, Norman needs all the friends he can!

He also has to find out how to keep his head – and stop the zombies chewing on his brains! Not an easy job when you’ve just been grounded.

With his dead uncle Prenderghast’s book of bedtime stories in his hands – but no instructions on how he’s supposed to use it to overcome the evil ones – can Norman beat the zombies and save the day?

This is an hilarious adventure that you can read before seeing the film. It also has some great black and white illustrations throughout.

Published by Hodder

.

Our Books of the Week is in association with the ReadingZone

  • The children’s books website www.ReadingZone.com aims to help families to support their children’s reading by suggesting the best books available.
  • The website provides news about books and authors, competitions, author interviews and recommendations, and there are distinct areas for children themselves to explore new releases.