The Goozillas!: Battle of the Gunge Games

Slime, silly contests and a competition nobody would call dignified power Battle of the Gunge Games, where Max and the Goozillas face off against their rivals. Barry Hutchison writes for the reader who wants a laugh every few pages, and the chapters are short, loud and illustrated. The Gunge Games give the story a clear shape, with rounds to win and challenges that grow steadily sillier, which makes the plot easy to follow even for a child who usually stalls partway through a book. The humour leans firmly towards the gross end, which is generally the point. What to expect: • A tournament structure that gives the story obvious momentum • Gross-out comedy pitched squarely at seven- to ten-year-olds • Illustrations breaking up the text for readers put off by dense pages • Self-contained enough to start here rather than at book one A strong choice for reluctant readers, fans of comic chapter books and anyone buying for a child who giggles at slime; published by Oxford University Press and available through Boipoka.