Stamped on the front with shiny gold bits that emphatically state ‘Must Not Be
Talked About,’ this book - with its hand-written feel and engaging line
drawings - will definitely be talked about.
Rufus
Rumble lives more than a hundred years in the future, and this alone is enough
to pique reader interest and intrigue. Also,
Rufus has a ticket to SPACE. And if that’s not enough, he’s also on a quest
to find his mother who simply vanished one morning, leaving Rufus to live with
his grumpy old Grandad.
In short, Rufus is your average 11-year-old with a complicated family and fair share of worries, which include what others might think of him, and what he looks like. The fact that he’s also on a space-ship which is held together with duct tape, and part of the worst space crew of all time, adds an element of danger and urgency to the story.
There’s so
much to enjoy about this book. The characters are simultaneously delightful and
alarming. The edgy black cover with green, graffiti-style writing and gold
splashes, is also slightly mysterious. The clever text is punctuated with
hand-written moments and loads of pictures that are funny and sometimes disgusting.
Author Nick
Long has worked with some of the biggest names in TV including Netflix, SBS,
Discovery Channel and National Geographic… so it’s no surprise that there are a
multitude of elements in this very funny book that would readily translate to
the screen. Perhaps too, this is the cause of the cliffhanger ending which is
SO FRUSTRATING BECAUSE WE ALL WANT ANSWERS RIGHT NOW BUT HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL
2025!
A most
entertaining read.
Title: Forbidden Journal Of Rufus Rumble #1: Worst Space Crew Ever
Author: Nick Long
Illustrator: Robin Tatlow-Lord
Publisher: Affirm, $17.99
Publication Date: 25 June 2024
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781922863355
For Ages: 6 – 9
Type: Junior Fiction