How would you feel if you woke up and found another head growing out of your neck? What’s more it’s a living, breathing, Talking head, with a rude, sharp tongue and an evil sense of humour. It knows all your darkest thoughts and it’s not afraid to say what it thinks. To Anybody. That’s exactly what happens to eleven-year-old Richard Westlake in The Boy with Two Heads.
I’m liking
I read a lot of books and loads of children’s fiction and it’s seldom that I come across a book that I want to rave about but The Boy with Two Heads is one! Andy Mulligan has totally captured the tumult of the pre-teen years and has managed to do so without coming across as the least bit condescending or patronising. The plot rollicks along in a not-entirely-predictable way and Rick and Richard are both endearing characters.
Although it’s mostly an adventure story, it also explores the complexity of growing up and dealing with hard issues like death. It has enough complexity to keep good readers challenged while taking less able readers along for the ride.
The conclusion
This is an excellent books for young(ish) readers and I suspect that it will quickly become a staple for school texts. I’d particularly recommend this book for boys- not because girls won’t like it, but because it’s rare to find a book that is so perfectly pitched for 10-13ish boys. Go and get it now!!
