Sam and Ruby's Olympic Adventure

Sam and Ruby have a lot in common. They are both bright, but find school tedious and are permanently in trouble, albeit for very different reasons. Whilst Sam can be found using his computing prowess to play practical jokes on the staff, Ruby spends lessons playing with her mobile and inspecting her make-up.

The headteacher has had enough and gives them one last chance to prove themselves, or else lose their places on the much-anticipated end-of-term trip. Their mission? To create an Olympic-themed project and present it at assembly. It’s an assignment which does not go down well at first. However, when Sam manages to use his technical wizardry to transform his spare wheelchair into a time machine, they discover that exploring the Olympics through the ages is anything but boring.

The result is a lively and fast-paced journey through the history of the Olympics. Whilst the idea of a magical or time-travelling wheelchair is perhaps not a new one, it is one which works in this instance, and the book has many other merits. For example, it is refreshing that Sam’s disability is not otherwise mentioned in the plot and the book does not resort to over-stereotyping either of the two (very engaging) characters. It’s also very pleasing that the creative team behind the book included 30 young people from Hackney. Their presence throughout is almost palpable, giving the narrative a particularly authentic and appealing quality. Then there is the well-timed Olympic theme, offering plenty of relevance to both home and school reading. Finally, like all Barrington Stoke titles, the book has the added attraction of being carefully designed to be extremely accessible to reluctant readers and those with dyslexia.

All in all, it’s a short and snappy Olympic-themed read with a ‘Bill and Ted’ style story and a youthful appeal.