Jumblecat

Billy Slipper isn't a bad boy; a little mischievous perhaps, a little adventurous maybe. He likes finding strange objects; his special assortment of 'Collectabillya' is his pride and joy. After all, life at home isn't much fun with a consistently annoying twin sister Mindy, who sings songs about her hair and a clean-freak Mother who is so meticulous about dirt that she individually cleans and dries carrots (with a hair-dryer!) and keeps them in their own germ-free protective bags. Tumbledown hill is a great spot for finding strange objects, but discovering Jumblecat takes Billy's collection to a new level of weirdness - and he's not the only one interested in it.

Jumblecat is rude, odd and hungry - children will delight in this bizarre character. Billy Slipper and his infuriating family provide lots of laughs and the whole thing manages to remain at a wonderfully zany level throughout. It's fast-paced and there are some fantastically visual set pieces that are crazy, colourful and a little bit creepy. Colonel Beauvrille's taxidermy tea-party might prove a little haunting for younger readers, but fans of Dahl and Walliams will be used to this sort of twisty humour. A fun narration and a genuinely original story suggest that Archie Kimpton is one to watch. Illustrations provided by the excellent Kate Hindley keep page appeal high - good work Hot Key Books!