The Rhyming Diary of Jason Smith

Jason Smith is a typical eleven-year-old boy – except for one thing. He enjoys keeping a diary of what he calls his ‘DAYS’ rather than his ‘days’: occasions that, for one reason or another, have burned themselves into his memory.
The day when a very excited dog found its way into school; the day when he went to school wearing odd socks; the cold winter day when he tried, unsuccessfully, to wriggle out of a swimming lesson – with a surprisingly happy result; the day the nurse came into school with very embarrassing consequences; Sports Day with all the usual chaos that brings. These, and others, are chronicled in Jason’s favourite way – in rhyme. We meet some of Jason’s family and friends: his little sister who is a nuisance and the ways Jason has invented of dealing with her; his older sister, whom he finds impossible to describe; Barney, who Mark – Jason’s best friend – thinks is an alien… It isn’t only the strange or funny days that Jason records, however. Sad days are here too: the loss of a much-loved pet: the day when Gurdip returned to school after losing his mum: the worries about moving to secondary school. Then there are the days when Jason found himself wondering ‘Why?’ Why did Mum’s bunch of roses open during the night rather than the day? Why has he, Jason, got such a boring surname? Why can’t he play football as well as Johnny? 
The Rhyming Diary of Jason Smith will appeal to a wide range of audiences. Children will recognise Jason’s world, the questions he asks, the embarrassing scrapes he finds himself getting into. Parents will remember their own school days, while teachers will find in The Rhyming Diary of Jason Smith a fund of ideas to stimulate imagination and promote classroom discussion.

Trevor Cattell spent more than thirty years teaching in primary schools in the Black Country. He loved it, and in The Rhyming Diary of Jason Smith gives voice to the dramas of classroom life, the resilience, wisdom and humour of the children he taught