Twins vs. Triplets: Back-to-School Blitz

Jennifer Torres's Back-to-School Blitz is a prank-packed school story for 7 year olds about a very tidy boy caught between two sides in a playground war.

What happens

David Suárez likes things just so. His pencils are sharpened, his folders are colour coded and he always carries a spare pair of socks. What he doesn't like is surprises.

That's a problem, because his next-door neighbours are Ash and Iris Romero, the Travieso Twins. Last year they tipped a jar of pickles over his head on the first day of school. This year it's a bucket of sticky red goop.

But David has a plan. His parents have made sure he won't be in the twins' class this year. It's going to be the best year ever!

Then three new kids move in on his other side. Bennie, Beckett and Bird Benitez are triplets, they love trouble just as much as the twins do, and they're sat right round David in class.

Before long the twins and the triplets are at war over the playground tower. There's rainbow chalk, buckets of mud, fake hornets and some very spicy chocolate chip cookies. And guess who gets made safety monitor?

It's a quick, funny read with a big, busy cast. Poor David just wants some peace and quiet to study for geography club. You really feel for him (and cheer when he finally comes up with a clever plan of his own).

His best friend Edith is a joy, with the worst geography jokes. Where are the Great Plains? In the great airports, of course!

Spanish words are sprinkled all the way through, with the meaning usually right beside them. "No hay problema" is David's mum's catchphrase, and "¡Qué desastre!" is his whenever things go wrong (which is often).

It's an American school story, so it's third grade, recess and a principal. None of that gets in the way of the fun.

It's book one of the Twins vs. Triplets series.

What to read next

Got a child who likes everything in its right place? They might also love Catalina Incognito, by the same author, about a girl who wants everything to be just perfect.