Review: Brittany And Co Take On Paris

With a title so hefty it needs its own aeroplane seat, it’s no wonder that the laughs from this book are also weighty in the extreme.

Author John Larkin (appropriate name!) may well be the ultimate dad-joker. In the best ways.

Although Brittany & co are banned from bringing their horses to school, they figure out a way to travel for free to Paris and compete in an international event without a scrap of training. As you do.

The tongue in cheek, rogue nature of Larkin’s prose mean that Brittany is at once a biting, visceral, naïve yet overall, (surprisingly!) accurate representation of an 11-year-old girl.

This book is a riot, a joy, a hoot, an absolute corker – and not just because it’s got a whole section devoted to The First Inaugural International Hobby Horse Riding Championships in Paris (TFIIHRCiP). 

Even when you can’t pronounce the character’s names  - or you forget who is who because there are so many hyphens and letters - this book is endearing, funny and very clever. 

Young readers will love the shenanigans of Brittany & Co, and adults will fall about laughing with the gasp-inducing observations of tween girls and their vernacular.

I loved everything about this book.

Bring on the rest of Europe!

Title: Brittany And Co Take On Paris
Author: John Larkin
Illustrator: Rebecca Timmis
Publisher: Larrikin, $16.99
Publication Date: 3 April 2024
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781922804686
For Ages: 7 - 12
Type: Middle Grade Fiction