by Jenny Robson
Tommy nodded. And then slowly, very slowly, he began to lift his navy balaclava off his face.
I held my breath, just like before. It seemed that everyone else in Grade Four SV was holding their breath as well. Even the Dragon Lady. We watched as Tommy’s face slowly appeared: his chin, his mouth, his nose, his cheeks, his forehead, his curly brown hair.
Then from all around the room came this giant gasp of amazement. All of us gasping at the same moment. We stared at Tommy, not believing our eyes. My brain felt like it was doing somersaults inside my skull. Round and round and upside down! Head over heels and back again! I reckon everyone else’s brain was feeling the same way.
It was Cherise who broke the silence at last.
“This isn’t Balaclava Boy, you dummies!” she said in her bossiest voice. With her pink pompom ears swinging on each side of her head. “What we have here is Balaclava Girl!”
Tommy smiled, looking embarrassed. He – she – had quite a pretty smile.
“Yes. Sorry about that. I should have told you,” Tommy said. “My family calls me Tommy. But my full name is Thomasina Karen MacAdam.”
And it was Dumisani, King of Audience Participation, who got us all chanting again: “Thoma-Seena! Balaclava girl! Thoma-Seena! Balaclava girl!” Over and over and over.
We watched as Tommy’s face slowly appeared: his chin, his mouth, his nose, his cheeks, his forehead, his curly brown hair.
Everyone was standing up now, enjoying the fun. So I had to get right up on top of my desk to stamp so they could keep the beat. Well, until Miss Venter asked us to please shush before Mr Rasool came to check if there was a riot in his school.
Billy de Beer, aka Lost In Space, suddenly turned away from the window, from whatever he’d been staring at all through Free Orals.
“Hey,” he said in the silence, “why’s the new boy got such long hair?”
And we couldn’t help it, not even after what Miss Venter had just said. In one giant voice, we all yelled back:
“Because!”
THE POWERS
BY KEVIN STEVENS
CHOSEN BY DUBLIN UNESCO CITY OF LITERATURE AS DUBLIN’S CITYWIDE READ
The Powers are an Irish superhero family who have some incredible powers, but seem to be seriously lacking in any ability to control them. Dad sets his head on fire, Mum brings thunderstorms everywhere she goes, JP flies into the wall more often than the sky and Suzie has had enough of the lot of them!
A perfectly-paced adventure story featuring a colourful and genuinely funny family, The Powers is sure to pull you into this world of disastrous heroes!
FENNYMORE AND THE BRUMELLA
BY KIRSTEN REINHARDT
Imagine a boy living all alone in a large old house with only a sky-blue bike (who thinks he’s a horse) for company. After his great-aunt dies (of dachshund poisoning – what else?) Fennymore sets off with his new friend Fizzy to find his parentsand fall foul of a silvery grey gentleman and an evil doctor who wants to get his hands on a mysterious invention…
A zany adventure story with a touch of fantasy and brilliant illusrations from David Roberts.