Crystal hooked her thumbs into her backpack straps and took off like a stampeding giraffe. ‘Yeehaa!’
Ravi rolled his eyes and slapped his thigh. ‘Hi ho, Ravi, away!’ he cried as he galloped to catch her.
I was winding up to dash after them when a black Saab came out of nowhere and thumped into me. Thumped me so hard my legs dropped off, my arms detached and my head bounced across the garden and rolled beneath a camellia bush.
John Johnson is a bit weird. That’s because he’s detachable. His body parts come off and can be put back on. This can prove a little embarrassing, so John hasn’t told his friends about his problem. So when he’s hit by a car in front of his friends, he hopes they haven’t noticed. They haven’t – but someone else has, and soon John and his friends are in danger. When Crystal is kidnapped, John has to use his detachability to fly to America in a suitcase and rescue her.
The Detachable Boy is a hilarious novel for primary aged readers with a blend of silliness, adventure and friendship. John’s ability to take himself apart and put himself back together gets him into as many scrapes as it gets him out of, and the twists and turns of this adventure often involve bits falling off or being put into funny places.
The humour and fun of this piece make it a sure winner with mid and upper primary aged readers.
The Detachable Boy, by Scot Gardner
Allen & Unwin, 2008