The Spectacular Revenge of Suzi Sims
Publisher: Barrington Stoke
Sports Day at Harrison Primary is just around the corner and Suzi is practicing sprinting. She crashes into Miss Grit, the new supply teacher, who is furious and takes an instant dislike to Suzi. Worse still, Miss Grit turns out to know and adore the class bully, Barbie – oh no!
The pair make Suzi’s week miserable. She’s falsely accused of copying work and drawing rude pictures plus she’s made to sit at the back of the room, despite protesting she has poor eyesight.
Suzi hatches a plan to show the headteacher Miss Grit’s true colours. Barbie too gets her comeuppance when her trick to sabotage Suzi’s chance of winning the 100-metre race backfires catastrophically.
This short chapter book, written in diary style, is the ideal companion for children going through tough days at school. Exploring friendship, bullying and the ups and downs of school life, it captures primary school life perfectly.
It is, however, worth noting that the teacher in this book is menacing (she calls Suzi names and says she feels sorry for her mother), so children who have experienced verbal abuse may find this story upsetting.
Fewer than 70 pages, this is a great choice for reluctant readers who prefer shorter reads but mature topics.
