Review: Darcy Burdock Hi So Much by Laura Dockrill

Ten-year-old Darcy sees the extraordinary in the everyday and the wonder in the world around her. This second book sees Darcy move-up to Big School - and all of a sudden EVERYTHING changes. Her best friend Will isn't sure he should talk to girls anymore, her new teacher may in actual fact be a cauldron-bubbling witch and, horror of horrors, her precious pet Lamb-Beth goes missing. Can Darcy face these challenges head-on, armed only with her curious, whip-smart mind and eye for a story?

Joyous drawings, colourful characters and a high-energy voice - the Darcy Burdock books are packed with personality from start to finish.

Review: another gorgeous gorgeous book from Laura Dockrill. Her books are just filled with so much energy and enthusiasm, you can see her personality leaping off the page and it is wonderful. This book has so much value as well. Poor Darcy has just started big school and it's not all it's crack up to be. As we met Darcy in the first book just thinking about big school and moving on, it is wonderful to see how she is getting on now! This book would be wonderful to read with children who are transitioning from primary to secondary, or those who are finding secondary school a little trickier than they thought! It teaches them so many lessons about wanting to fit in and standing by your own values and opinions as well as not giving up and letting your personality shine through. 

This books had me laughing just as much as the first book. Although this wasn't as fast paced as the first, there are still tons of laughs to be had, not as much rudeness as book one though. Interestingly, I was reading this with some year 6 children and they weren't sure about how naughty Darcy was, they thought perhaps some of the stuff she was doing was wrong, they still really warmed to her and wanted to see her having her writing published in the school paper. 

This book has some wonderful strong themes of friendship and family too and was brilliantly realistic when it came to relationships between 11 year olds and relationships at home. The school setting was brilliantly written and I loved the recurring characters. There is a point where you are genuinely worried that something terrible is about to happen, but it is so well written it doesn't cause you too much anguish and safe to say, everything is alright now. I am so excited that this is going to be a 5 book series and I am just about to begin book 3-I can't wait!