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CliffhangerJacqueline Wilson
Cliffhanger
by Jacqueline Wilson
Tim is hopeless at games and is sent on an adventure holiday by a father who wishes he were not, and finds one thing he can do after all.
A story about children, funny and warm in tone. We would put it with children of 8–11, and at a reading age of about 8 for reading alone.
Nothing flagged
We have not flagged any content in this one that a parent would usually want warning about.
Our take on this book
Tim is hopeless at everything sporty and dreads the adventure holiday his father has cheerfully signed him up for, certain he will be humiliated at abseiling and canoeing and every other terror on the timetable — and he mostly is, until he discovers one unexpected thing he can actually do. Jacqueline Wilson writes the anxious, self-deprecating child better than almost anyone, and Tim's dread and his running commentary are both very funny and very recognisable to any child who has been picked last. It is short, illustrated by Nick Sharratt and briskly told, which makes it approachable for a slightly reluctant reader who is put off by length. There is nothing frightening in it; the peril is entirely of the wobbling-on-a-high-ledge, will-I-embarrass-myself kind. For an eight- to eleven-year-old, especially one who does not see themselves as sporty or brave, it is a warm, reassuring read about finding your own thing.
If they like this, try these
Chosen by matching age, reading age, tone and subject — not by what is selling.
The Boy Who Grew DragonsAndy Shepherd
The Boy Who Lived with DragonsAndy Shepherd
Charlie Changes Into a ChickenSam Copeland
Harry's MadDick King-Smith
Planet Omar: Accidental Trouble MagnetZanib Mian
Or let them write their own.
Nothing gets a child reading like a story they invented themselves. Your child plans the characters and the plot, and we write, illustrate and print it as a real book with their name on the cover as the author.
Find another book
Tell us the age, the reading age and what they like, and we will suggest a handful.