There’s a Yeti in the Playground!

There's a Yeti in the Playground by Pamela Butchart is a funny school story for 7 year olds about snow and a very alarming discovery.

What happens

Izzy and her friends are hoping the snow will mean an early trip home. Then they hear odd noises outside and find an enormous footprint. To them, the explanation is obvious.

There's a yeti. And it must be hungry!

Izzy is already convinced that her school is a dangerous place. Her mum thinks she exaggerates. Izzy has plenty of examples ready to prove that she absolutely does not.

You hear everything through her very excited thoughts. She can hardly tell you one thing without remembering something else you need to know. The friends take every possibility seriously, however unlikely it sounds to the grown-ups.

The opening is full of familiar snow-day excitement. Jodi measures the snow with a ruler. Maisie has so many layers on that her friends can barely see her face, and getting her boots loose becomes a job in itself.

If your reader likes a small problem turning into a HUGE drama, there's plenty here to laugh about. The friends can make a rescue mission out of almost anything. You can hear how urgent it all feels to them.

There's fun for the parent in Izzy's version of home life too. She can't understand why her mum is so relieved that school will open. Surely spending the whole day together would be lovely?

The group gives the adventure a lot of its energy. Izzy, Zach, Jodi and Maisie have their own worries and ideas, and nobody wants to be left facing the danger alone. Their friendship matters even when their conclusions seem a bit of a stretch.

The setup includes strange noises and the belief that a hungry creature is nearby. A child who worries about monsters may find that unsettling. For someone who enjoys wildly exaggerated school adventures, the friends' reactions may be the funniest part.

What to read next

If they'd like another chatty school story, Tom Gates Best Book Day Ever (so far) is also in the library. His big event is a costume parade, with plenty of opinions about the people making his plans more difficult.