Review of Howl: A Small and Heavy Adventure by Miles Salter

Firstly I would like to thank Miles Salter for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest review.

Howl book cover

‘I do apologise, Mr Grindell,’ said Ms Lipps. ‘Most of our children are very good, but we do have one or two who can be a little bit…challenging.’

When class 5D at Rigor Mourtice Community Primary gets a new form teacher for the remainder of the year, James Small and his best friend, Neville Heavy, know they’re in trouble. But then, they always are. Even still, their new teacher, Mr Grindell, is particularly suspect, with his long yellow teeth and hot temper. Grindell isn’t too find of his class either.

Shortly after Mr Grindell takes over, James’s father is called on to take a temporary engineering job in France. While his father’s travelling for work is no longer unusual to James, on this occasion his mum will be accompanying him. Although his parents will only be away for two weeks, this feels a very long time to James. His younger sister, Emma, will be staying with a friend while they’re away. As Neville’s mum has just had a new baby, James will have to stay with an elderly childminder named Mrs Winters instead. She’s a total stranger to him as well as being a strange woman in her own right. However, James can’t help but soften towards her when he is offered a huge slice of homemade chocolate cake, before being shown Mrs Winters moped. But who is Mrs Winters really? And why has she asked James to keep an eye on Mr Grindell?

This hilarious adventure story for children aged seven through ten will appeal particularly to boys, especially those who, like Small and Heavy, may occasionally be seen to be slightly challenging. Salter has a keen eye for children’s speech and thought patterns and is convincing at writing from a young child’s point of view.

Howl: A Small and Heavy Adventure is available now from Amazon UK and Amazon US: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0993300014

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0993300014

You can follow Miles on Twitter: @MilesWrites

Visit his website: http://www.miles-salter.co.uk/

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