"Can Reggie’s hypnotic talents help him make friends at secondary school?"
Having twice had stories selected for Empathy Day collections, Helen Rutter is becoming known for her capacity to make the reader see the world through another pair of eyes and to walk in the shoes of individuals in challenging circumstances.
She is renowned also for her capacity to do this in narratives that are as funny as they are touching - an extraordinary talent that is amply demonstrated in this her latest novel.
Reggie has ADHD and is coming to the end of primary school where he has constantly struggled to make friends, to fit in and to ‘be good.’ He desperately wants secondary school to be different and when he sees a hypnotist perform on stage, Reggie becomes obsessed with learning the skills of mind control and discovers that he has an incredible talent for it! Could this be the answer to gaining friends and popularity?
But his talents are noticed by a gang who want to use his skills for their own advantage and things quickly get out of hand. Reggie needs to learn what real friendship is and to trust and believe in himself.
This is a really perceptive and moving exploration of what ADHD is like, what it feels like to not fit in and the dangerous power of peer pressure. Readers will find much to relate to and enjoy in this heartwarming and hilarious story. Sharing as a class or at bedtime will promote some really valuable discussion about acceptance and tolerance. Highly recommended.
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Reggie Houser has ADHD and struggles to make friends at school, plus his mum and teachers seem constantly weary about his erratic, high-energy ways. But when he sees a hypnotist perform on stage at the holiday park he visits, Reggie becomes obsessed with learning the skills of mind control - and he discovers he has an incredible talent for it!
First of all he hypnotises the dog to think he's a frog, then makes his headmaster cluck like a chicken in assembly in front of the whole school - but then a group of mean kids supposedly take him under their wing and make him use his hypnosis talents for bad: stealing a chocolate bar from a shop and escalating to a bigger theft. Reggie must decide to use his skills for good only and come to trust his own brain to make decisions.
Packed with brilliant jokes and one-liners to make kids roar with laughter a book to encourage empathy and kindness in young readers
Perfect for fans of Jacqueline Wilson, Lisa Thompson and Jenny Pearson.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed Reggie Houser Has the Power and determined it is suitable for children aged 9-10 years old
Reggie Houser Has the Power features in the following genres: Books to Motivate Reluctant Readers age 9+, Recommendations, Funny, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Julia Eccleshare's Picks of the Month, School Stories, Star Books, Stories about Family and Friends, Featured Books for 9+ readers
Reggie Houser Has the Power is available in Paperback
Reggie Houser Has the Power was written by Helen Rutter and published by Scholastic
Reggie Houser Has the Power has 276 pages
£7.19
