Give peas a chance Book

Wonderful! Fresh, funny and varied, I was looking for a selection of short stories for a junior book club at the library - definitely found it in Gleitzman's collection.

These 15 tales vary from quite sweet and moving to rude and hilarious. My group will love the story set in a nose, the story based entirely on text messages from a dad, a boy stopping war and violence by refusing to eat his vegetables.

At under 200 pages, it is within reach of able readers from age 8 onwards, each story only 8-12 pages in general. Set in Australia there are culturally-specific terms but nothing too tricky.

Here is a quick breakdown:

1. Mission Impossible - Tom Cruise is referenced regularly as a boys parents leave him in charge of their hotel while they and their babies try to catch up on sleep. How will he kept some noisy customers quiet?

2. Paparazzi - took me a while to understand what was happening, it starts as a group's imaginings of photographers everywhere but ends with a very moving moment that highlights friendship.

3. Greenhouse Gas - a bit rude (a lot of blow-off talk) and a little dark. A boy and his granddad refuse to accept an award - why won't they?

4. Think Big - a boy tries to make his mum feel better about her weight, funny look at his reasoning skills.

5. Odd Socques - poor Macques hates the spelling of his name. Will his parents change it? This takes a strange turn but is great.

6. Ashes to Ashes - a young cricket fan wants to scatter his granddad's ashes on a cricket ground, while his friend is only interested in meeting girls. Maybe one can help the other...

7. 100 Text Messages you must Read Before you Die - so, so funny. Dad learns to text to his daughter. Great story told in texts.

8. Give Peas a Chance - can world peace be achieved by a worldwide child vegetable strike? Genius!

9. Good Dog - dog and his owner teach an impatient dad a lesson at a birthday party.

10. Cornflakes - all about the tiny creatures inside our bodies, sweet.

11. My first ever go at bomb disposal - I cried. Mum and son on train, with no entertainment. He sees a man who he think may be a terrorist. Lots of emotion in such a short tale.

12. Germ Meets Worm - nose germs to on holiday...to the stomach. Will it be everything they hoped? I live this sort of story.

13. Snugglepots and Cuddlepies - superb look at rivalry among daycare, older kids treating peers differently because of the nursery they went to. Good for schools.

14. Why my dad could be prime minister - fireman lies to his kids about mum being at the cinema. So where was she? Tenuous link to the title, but still a lovely tale.

15. So Unjust - great way to end the book, a story within a story about a girl who likes books with twists and tries to manufacture one into her own life.

A really great selection, looking forward to discussing them with my group. Would make excellent 'end of day' reads in KS2, and a good way in to Gleitzman's more lengthy books (Once / Then / Now / Loyal Creatures I'd recommend).