Besides getting the all-male world of small boys to a T, it has irresistible instructions about how to make fart-bombs

Likely to appeal even to reluctant readers because it is funny and uninhibitedly improper, it is also well observed about boys and their attitude to girls

An engagingly witty story, it offers ready boy-appeal - though girls, too, will appreciate its sharp stance on gender stereotyping

There's a fine line between crude and funny, and McGowan treads it expertly. If this doesn't get 7- to 9-year-olds reading, nothing will

A laugh-out-loud tale

This is a masterfully written and dark story of contemporary teen life, which deserves to be widely read and discussed