My Parents are Out of Control

Out of the blue, Louis’s parents ask for tips on being cool. At first Louis is amused and teaches his parents how to use lingo like ‘wicked’ and ‘sick,’ – until one day things go too far: Louis’s dad turns up outside his school dressed like a gangster rapper. Suddenly, Louis’s parents are out of control, trying to ‘friend’ him on Facebook and wearing a baseball cap backwards. Louis decides he must put a stop to this embarrassing nonsense at once, and his best friend Maddy agrees.

My Parents Are Out of Control is Pete Johnson’s sequel to How to Train Your Parents, but it works well as a standalone book. Given that it sees life through the eyes of a teenager, it is akin to Adrian Mole, Wimpy Kid and Tom Gates – and works for younger fans too. The mix of slapstick farce and razor sharp sarcasm is balanced with those familiar scenes of everyday life involving family, friends, school. The warmth and affection with which they are written shines through so that you really care about the characters and want to know how Louis’s adventure will pan out – whilst laughing your socks off at the same time.