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Find out moreLouis is back for his sixth speedily-paced comic quest, and this time he’s on a mission to set his comedy career on a more stellar trajectory. “I’ve only one talent,” Louis acknowledges. “Making people laugh. And I’ve dreamed of being a comedian since I was an amoeba.” Unfortunately, though, Louis’s slot on a popular vlog is curtailed when its hosts head to America to pursue bigger opportunities, so he and Maddy, his agent (and girlfriend) must seek new channels for his comic genius. Maddy’s irrepressible can-do confidence is an infectious joy throughout, not least when her unfailing support and invention leads them to track down (who they believe to be) the producer of a new talent show for young comedians. Needless to say, things never go quite to plan in Louis’s wonky world and he must conquer more than a few problems and misunderstandings before he gets his chance to shine. With lashings of laughs induced by Louis’s mindfulness-obsessed, cringe-inducing mum and dad (who misinterpret his pursuit of comic acclaim as a cry for help, and inadvertently go viral themselves), this riotously readable feast serves up an energetic, child-centred perspective on family life, friendship and following your dreams (hitches and all).
In a nutshell: non-stop laughs with Louis Pity poor Louis, things at home should be looking up now that his dad’s got a new job, but after a particularly disastrous parents’ evening, everything takes a turn for the really bad (for Louis anyway). His parents decide they need to spend more time with their children, to help them achieve more at school, which means no more guest appearances on Noah and Lily’s vlog for Louis. Fortunately, his girlfriend Maddy has a plan … Narrated by Louis at breakneck speed, packed with jokes and funny observations on contemporary teen life, this is super readable. One to recommend to fans of James Patterson’s I Funny series, which also stars a wannabe teen comic. ~ Andrea Reece A Piece of Passion from the Publisher about My Parents are Driving Me Crazy Louis is desperate to become a professional comedian, and at 13 he already has an agent, Maddy - also thirteen. With Maddy's help, Louis wins a spot in the final of the TV talent show Kids With Attitude. Everybody thinks he'll win, but when it comes to the big day, and Louis feels poorly, well - let's just say things don't go so well! But Pete Johnson's story is about much more than just his determination to achieve fame and fortune as a comedian. The backstory is that Louis's family is turned upside down when his dad loses his job and his mum has to get a full time job. Responsible for cleaning, cooking, and all sorts of unfamiliar household tasks, Dad finds this really tough. So does Louis, when his dad decides that since he's now at home more, the two of them can 'hang out' and be best friends! This is a hilarious story, that the "Wimpy Kid" generation will love, but parents too will warm to a touching tale of a family thrown into chaos, and of how they eventually find a way to get back on track. Highly recommended!
This is a hilarious story of dead fish, gorillas with bananas in their ears, poetry, cunning plans and highly legal documents (kind of). Oh and iPads, iPhones and vlogging of course. I’m sitting at home chortling away at How To Update Your Parents when Ben suddenly looks up from his gamepad and asks… ‘Whatcha reading Mum?’ ‘Oh just a book I’m reviewing.’ I say and carry on reading. Not long after he can’t help but come and take a peek. The cover alone is enticing and the title well… ‘Does it really tell you how to update your parents?’ And then I tell him it’s about a boy called Louis The Laugh who is really funny and all he wants to do is make as many people as possible laugh so he attempts to start his own comedy vlog. However his parents think he spends too much time ‘glued to a screen’ and have decided that their home should become totally device free. Louie of course thinks they’ve ‘totally lost the plot’. Oh the horror, the indignity! Yes, Louis and his younger brother Elliot are forced to return to ‘ye olden days’. The days when people would sit around the fire playing board games, take long walks and do jigsaw puzzles – all the time. ~ Shelley Fallows A Piece of Passion from the Editor How to Update Your Parents is the fourth instalment in the highly successful and popular Louis the Laugh series. Louis is an aspiring comedian and, with the help of girlfriend and ‘agent’, Maddy, he sets out to conquer the world of comedy using vlogs and social media. But there’s just one rather big problem – his parents have enforced a total ban on technology! This results in Louis’ hilarious attempts to get his parents to change their minds and to make them see the error of their ways.Will Louis convince his parents that social media and technology are good things after all? Or will Louis have to find another way to make his voice heard? You’ll have to read the book to find out!In an age where the issue of technology and social media addiction is becoming ever more topical and debated, How to Update Your Parents provides a fresh outlook on the subject and shows both sides of the argument in a thoroughly entertaining, non-judgmental, and hilarious way.
The ups and downs of would-be comic Louis’s life make for highly amusing reading. Ups include first date with his friend/comedy agent Maddy, and forth-coming appearance on a TV talent show; downs are school, Mr Beach in particular, and Dad, newly redundant and therefore in Mum’s place at home, instituting cleaning rotas with missionary zeal. There is an up to Dad’s new role too: he’ll happily write Louis’s history essays for him, something Mum would never sanction! Pete Johnson is very good on ordinary family relationships, there’s lots that readers will recognise in this entertaining adolescent sit-com and real substance beneath the comedy. ~ Andrea Reece A Piece of Passion from the Publishers Louis is desperate to become a professional comedian, and at 13 he already has an agent, Maddy - also thirteen. With Maddy's help, Louis wins a spot in the final of the TV talent show Kids With Attitude. Everybody thinks he'll win, but when it comes to the big day, and Louis feels poorly, well - let's just say things don't go so well! But Pete Johnson's story is about much more than just his determination to achieve fame and fortune as a comedian. The backstory is that Louis's family is turned upside down when his dad loses his job and his mum has to get a full time job. Responsible for cleaning, cooking, and all sorts of unfamiliar household tasks, Dad finds this really tough. So does Louis, when his dad decides that since he's now at home more, the two of them can 'hang out' and be best friends! This is a hilarious story, that the "Wimpy Kid" generation will love, but parents too will warm to a touching tale of a family thrown into chaos, and of how they eventually find a way to get back on track. Highly recommended!