by Lara Williamson
This book was such a scream, I had a smile on my face nearly all the way through and chuckled out loud in a few places. But beware the last chapter - there's a bit of a bombshell and it's so sad it'll have you weeping. What a rollercoaster of emotions in just a few pages!The boy called Hope is Daniel Hope who lives with his sister Grace, his mum and her boyfriend Big Dave. Daniel's dad left when he was about 4 and since then he hasn't heard anything from him, not even a birthday card. But then he and his sister see him on the local news - as a presenter. Daniel finds out where he lives and begins to formulate a plan to meet with him and finally have his dad back. Unfortunately the best laid plans often go awry, but Dan has his friends and family around to help him through.
The book is full of great characters - the awful older sister Ninja Grace, the school friend Christopher who has secrets of his own, the best friend Jo who has a love of all things saintly, and the family dog Charles Scallybones who eats and sicks up again just about everything. A great read, highly recommended for readers aged 9-12.
