Jim Reaper – Son of Grim

Rachel Delahaye's Jim Reaper - Son of Grim is a very funny story for 8 year olds about a boy who wants one thing more than anything, and the strange family secret he stumbles on while trying to get it.

What happens

That thing is a Bazoom! (exclamation mark included). It's a scooter with a pop-boost button that gives you a burst of speed, and there are only a handful left in the shop. Jim's best friend's big sister Fiona has just got one. Jim thinks Fiona is a little bit awesome (don't tell anyone). Now she'll be zooming to school without them.

So Jim HAS to get a Bazoom!, quickly. His mum is a health nut who makes him drink green sludge that tastes of cowpats, so she's never going to say yes. But Dad's a soft touch. Except this time Dad just says NO. No reason. Nothing.

Jim and Will (his best mate) come up with Operation Bazoom! They'll sneak a Letter of Persuasion into Dad's office. Dad's an accountant at Mallet & Mullet (not a very good one, he's rubbish at maths).

But Dad's office is behind a secret door. The corridors are full of ancient portraits. The wardrobe is full of black cloaks. And the nameplate on the door says G. Reaper...

Jim tells the story himself and he's brilliant company. He's cheeky and a bit of a worrier, and his asides will have kids giggling. Will is the best bit, though. He's obsessed with snails, and has a brain like spaghetti with the odd meatball of brilliance hidden in it. Then there's Jim's little sister Hetty, who is six and a born blackmailer.

The story plays with a big idea. Imagine starting to suspect that your own dad is Death. What on earth would YOU do? It's handled with lots of jokes and silliness rather than anything dark. Still, if your reader has recently lost someone, you might want to know the book's big joke is death before they start.

For a child who loves a daft plan that goes wrong, a best friend with very odd hobbies and a secret that keeps getting bigger, this should go down a treat.

What to read next

If your reader wants more of the dead played for laughs, try Hangman's Crossing from Will Mabbitt's Embassy of the Dead books. Jake can see ghosts and has been handed a job helping them that he never asked for.