Angry young men, many of them growing up without fathers, are causing increasing angst in adult society, and a growing band of children’s writers are exploring angry boys as characters. Philip Ridley addresses this area with thrilling inventiveness, humour, imagination, colour and insight in his latest novel Mighty Fizz Chilla (Puffin pound;4.99). Ridley’s workshops in school and youth clubs, particularly with excluded and “problem” children, have clearly paid off in his writing, which is full of sharp observation.
Milo Kick is very angry indeed; his mother, Fliss, has raised him alone and is at her wit’s end. When, in desperation, she sends him to Cornwall to stay with her close friend, the operatic Cressida Bell, a bunch of extraordinary characters conspire to help Milo understand the circumstances of his father’s absence.
The narrative is broken down into 101 short extracts; the punchy dialogue and theatrical events revolve around themes of obsession and redemption and the healing power of narrative. This playful, funny novel is clever but accessible, wonderful for reading aloud with Year 5 or 6, and enjoyable for solo readers.
