Daniel Peak
Rita Jeffries is two years old, alone and on the run! She may be a toddler, but she has the mind (and attitude) of a teenager. She knows something’s not right, but she’s still surprised when her parents disappear and a sinister clown and an ice-cream van seem to be hunting her down… It will take all Rita’s cunning and resourcefulness, as well as a cat flap, a mobility scooter and a reluctant teenage sidekick, to defeat an evil conspiracy and a crazy genius villain.
This is a genuinely funny book that had me sniggering into my tea while I read it, Rita’s observations on life and adult behaviour were particularly amusing. Life as a very intelligent toddler is not easy, especially when you have to keep the fact that you are intelligent a secret so you aren’t treated like a freak and carted off to a zoo or science lab.
The story is fast-paced and has lots of twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat, and often falling off it with laughter along the way. My wife asked me what was so funny, and trying to explain the plot at that moment in time was incredibly difficult – Intelligent two-year-old escapes from psychopathic mad scientist clown on mobility scooter…
Rita’s ability to manipulate and take advantage of unsuspecting adults has me looking at my 6-month-old great nephew with a lot of suspicion, I am now wondering what plans he has going on behind his dribbling smile and apple-puree covered face. She shows great understanding of adults our quirks habits and motivations, all of which enable her to survive on the mean streets and soft-play centres of the town where she lives.
Definitely recommended for children in Years 4 upwards they’ll never look at a child in nursery the same way again…
