Alice Dent and the Incredible Germs

In a great mish-mash of reality and fantasy, this is a debut novel suitable for lower Key Stage 2 children. Alice Dent, the heroine of this story, gets a cold. So far, so ordinary. But this is not an ordinary cold in the slightest. Alice's cold has amazing side effects and it is highly contagious. Written by Gwen Lowe, a consultant in communicable disease control, this is someone who understands about contagion, but also understands what makes children laugh. In some ways this is a straight forward story, of a child who ends up in a slightly magical situation, set in a school. The different and entertaining part is the premise of the cold being a communicable disease that adults want to prevent, but it is actually a good thing to get as it spreads happiness. The cover has the tag line 'Happiness is infectious!'. Many of the adults in the story are not particularly pleasant, including Alice's own parents, and only this cold can change them. Many of the adults are obsessed with cleanliness and not allowing children to get in the slightest bit dirty or near anything that might have germs. Sadly, this is true of the occasional real parent I have met, including parents of a Reception child who did not want their child to sit on the ground as it was dirty. So the book fits in well with the current obsession on germs and having household cleaners that get rid of everything that might be slightly germ laden. Alice is a plucky and delightful character and her friends are equally fun to get to know. There are laugh out loud moments in this story and the slightly madcap humour as well as the fast pace, make it a very enjoyable read. 256 pages / Ages 8+ / Reviewed by Jacqueline Harris, teacher.

Suggested Reading Age 7+