This is a wonderful early reader for kids of all ages. It is hilarious and it will also make the average child think a bit–which is a great combination!
Charlie and his family are on the road again–this time to spend a year in the south of France.
Unhappy at first, not wanting to leave his friends, school and big-city life, Charlie soon finds himself caught up in new adventures in their little village of Celeriac.
He runs through the streets chased by bulls, survives an autumn flood and a winter blizzard, and discovers the pleasures of French cuisine, including snails, donkey sausage and runny cheese that smells like the boys’ locker room at school.
Most of all, Charlie and his little brother, Max, grow fond of their new neighbours. There is the man who steals ducks from the local river, and the neighbor’s dog who sleeps right in the middle of the street, and their new friends Rachid and Amhed, who teach them how to play soccer in the village square, where the goal is the open door of the church.
As a bonus, there’s a hilarious driving trip through Spain in their sardine-can-car.
In the end Charlie discovers the bitter-sweet joys of living in a new place.
Travelling stories are great for kids! They show kids that people are all relatively the same, regardless of where you go. The only thing that really changes are their cultural mores.
I loved this book from beginning to end. And it fits the challenge that is set in the 11th Annual Book Review Challenge.
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by: Irene S. Roth
Irene Roth's Canadian Book Review Blog 