Grandpa Frank's Great Big Bucket List

By Author / Illustrator

Jenny Pearson, David O'Connell

Genre

Friends and family

Age range(s)

Publisher

Usborne Publishing Ltd

ISBN

9781474974066

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

03-02-2022

Synopsis

From the bestselling queen of heart and humour, Jenny Pearson, comes a great big soaring adventure about family and finding happiness.

When Frank John Davenport inherits piles of money from a grandma he didn't know he had, things take an unexpected turn... Because the money comes with STRICT instructions...and a NEW grandpa.

Frank quickly compiles a list of all the ways he can spend the money and look after his grumpy grandpa. Money may buy hot-air balloon rides, monster-truck lessons and epic parkour experiences, but can Frank discover that happiness is, in fact, priceless?

Praise for Jenny Pearson SHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA BOOK AWARD, WATERSTONES CHILDREN'S BOOK AWARD, LAUGH OUT LOUD BOOK AWARD and the BRANFORD BOASE AWARD "Breaks records for funny and touching storytelling." David Baddiel "As funny and tender as it could ever be." Frank Cottrell-Boyce. "Heart-warming and genuinely funny." The Times

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Reviews

Grandpa Frank’s Great Big Bucket List is the latest heart-warmingly hilarious book from Jenny Pearson. Telling the story of Frank Davenport, an eleven-year-old boy who unexpectedly inherits a huge sum of money, the book follows the young boy as he gets to know his grandpa, spends vast amounts of cash and tries to heal a family rift. As with her previous books, Pearson deals with some big issues within this story: themes of grief, loneliness, family rifts and old age are dealt with sensitively and Pearson's humour takes the edge off what could be an otherwise difficult read.

The book is full of mad-cap and zany twists, which are sure to make young readers laugh out loud. Frank is a character worth knowing - he's stubborn, caring and resilient. He will appeal to lots of readers as he knows his own mind and (quite-rightly in this instance) refuses to listen to his parents .

The illustrations and font choices bring the story to life and make the book more interesting and engaging to read. I thoroughly enjoyed Grandpa Frank's Great Big Bucket List and would say it's Pearson's best book to date. It would be perfect for readers in Year 5 and above; I very much look forward to adding it to my classroom bookshelf.

336 Pages / Reviewed by Linda Canning