An interesting concept.
It was nice to read bits of stories, most of which were engaging.
They leave room for imagination, and I guess that was part of the point.
Overall, it was a nice book for family time.
3,5 stars.

I love Kes Gray's books for younger children, Eat Your Peas being a particular favourite.
This is aimed at slight6older children and would be great for emerging readers.
Colourful, funny and clever. Definitely to be recommended.

Son loved these, I laughed.

This was a great idea. A selection of VERY short stories, pretty much what a school student might come up with and get down in an English lesson, complete in itself, but each very different to the others and with some surprising and often hilarious endings.

My 8-year-old didn't know what to make of this at first, but soon saw that each was a different story with different characters, and we both laughed at some of these as I read them aloud.

He'd have been able to manage these himself, but we had them over a few bedtimes together.

Each begins with the name of the young protagonist or the opening words. There are extra-terrestrial night adventures, a dragon in the playground, treasure on the beach, an unusual Christmas morning surprise. One manages to fit in zombie beavers, poisonous snakes and lava! The one that made me laugh aloud was Jimmy's missing belly button. And my son REALLY wants Zoe's magic pen (read it to find out!). Another one seems to have been created purely for a football pun at the end. A sad one with granddad and grandson trying to play their version of football together, despite a challenge or two. There's even a sci-fi fantasy short story about the inside of a black hole. Yup, these are pretty broad in scope.

The author has clearly had a ball here, coming up with crazy story suggestions to show young readers/writers that anything can be a story. You don't need a full novel to tell a tale. Your imagination can take you anywhere and it can entertain in just a few pages.

Inspiring and brilliant. More volumes please! Should be given to every primary teacher.

Oh and yes, you know the name. Kes Gray is known for the Daisy Series and Oi Frog! books. You've already read him, now his fans can grow up and write with him and a little too.

For ages 6-11.

With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample reading copy.

I read this with my 7 year old. We really enjoyed the short stories and the great illustrations. A lovely bedtime book.

What a wonderful idea for a book for young readers. I know so many children who will love these stories and the book itself, as its so attractiveand inviting. It feels like a modern version of a fairy tale collection, sharper, faster paced and wittier.

The stories are relatable and funny. I liked them all, but Zoe and Carlos were my favourite; one was so clever and funny and the other really emotional and powerful.

I think this would be a great addition to any child's (from age of 5 or 6) book shelf or for a p1-p3 classroom library.

A great collection of funny stories and fabulous illustrations!

I absolutely loved the illustrations in this book. There colours are really bright and I love the little annotations and details. In terms of the stories, I struggled to stay interested. They read a bit like a very long build up with a punchline at the end that wasn't really worth it. I felt as though I was reading a series of extracts from other books and after the punchline, was left wanting to know what happened next but it just moved onto the next story. I can imagine maybe using this book as prompts for children to continue the stories but probably not to just read for pleasure.