Finn's Epic Fails: The hilarious new series packed with school fails, friendship, pranks and chaos!

Finn lives with his dad, younger sister Maisie (who is obsessed with unicorns) and his older brother Jonah, whose hobby is bullying and embarrassing Finn. As Finn puts it, he is "the filling in a sibling sandwich" and his life is one huge fail after another. In the very first chapter, he loses his shorts during a school swimming lesson and everything goes downhill from there. He just wants to survive Year 7 at school and win at life, but it 'seem like this is going to happen any time soon. Nothing ever goes right for Finn! He gives the reader a first-hand account of "the fartcloud that is his life" as he lurches from one disaster to another.

Finn's Epic Fails is a funny, heartwarming story, with a great cast of characters and lots of laugh-out loud moments. Finn is so likeable, the reader is rooting for him the whole way through the book. He is helped at school by his best friends, Google, the smartest girl in the school, and Laszlo, a hopeless romantic, who falls in and out of love with a different person every day.

Al Murphy's fun, cartoon-style illustrations feature throughout the book, adding to the diary style format, and the inclusion of a 'Fail-o-Meter' at the start of each chapter gives the reader an indication as to how bad a day Finn is going to have, all adding to the fun. As the story progresses, we se a small chink of light at the end of the tunnel for Finn - are things loking up for him at last? We are treated to a very satisfying ending as Finn gets his revenge over his brother - at least for now.

This is an entertaining, well-written novel, giving an insight into the trials and tribulations of secondary school and family life. I can see this series becoming a very popular addition to any school library. Highly recommended.

272 pages / Reviewed by Beverley Somerset, School Librarian

Suggested Reading Age 9+

Finn is the middle child of three. His older brother Jonah is a bully and yet somehow very popular at school and his younger sister Maisie is a unicorn obsessed five-year-old. And Finn describes himself as a 'Fail Magnet'. He does seem to have a lot of disasters of epic proportions and is constantly trying hard to get some successes, however small.

Finn's Epic Fails is funny. The cover alone made my daughter take the book straight out of my hands and start reading it. Whilst funny, it is also kind of agonising to watch poor old Finn constantly at the bottom of the heap in his family. His dad seems not to notice how Jonah treats him and Maisie is oblivious to anything but unicorns. It is not a very complimentary portrait of secondary school teachers, but amusing nonetheless.

The story is illustrated by Al Murphy, who does a brilliant job of capturing the insanity. The cartoon-like drawings litter the pages and add to the crazy vibe. The font is also used to make it seem as if Finn is writing it himself and adds to the over all comedy in the story.

I've read Phil Earle’s WWII animal stories - they are among my favourite books - and yet this is totally different but also enjoyable. I can see lots of children aged 9+ being drawn to this story in the same way my daughter was. It is just so appealing in every way, even the gross bits!

272 pages / Reviewed by Jacqueline Harris, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 9+

Finn's life seems destined to be a series of epic fails. Year 7 is plagued with boring lessons and evil teachers, while at home he has to contend with a unicorn-obsessed, evil little sister, a muscle-bound, vain older brother and a father who, since the divorce, has taken up wearing Lycra. Armed with his two best friends, Google and Laszlo, Finn is determined to negotiate life at secondary school without any issues, but when you are prone to epic fail after epic fail, will this be possible?

Offering a marked contrast to Phil's recent series of historical novels, Finn's Epic Fails really is a laugh-a-minute read! Finn is instantly likeable and readers will instantly empathise with the many mortifying scrapes and 'fails' he encounters along the way. A 'Fail-O-Meter' at the beginning of each chapter indicates just how cringe worthy Finn's life is going to get from a 'Super Rare Win' to '100% Epic Fail'. It will come as no surprise to learn that the wins are indeed 'super rare', but Finn's resilience and general good humour shine through as he recounts his experiences in this book which is definitely NOT a diary!

Short chapters, a fast paced, entertaining narrative and lively illustrations all combine to make the ups and downs of Finn's life a very entertaining and engaging read. I notice Finn has the same high opinion of Frazzles as the author does which makes me wonder how much of Phil's own school day experiences have made their way into the story!

272 pages / Reviewed by Sue Wilsher, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 9+