posted on 09 Apr 2016

Demolition Man by  Phil Earle

This was a bit of a risky read for me as I don't usually warm to what appear to be 'jokey' books. Even as a young child I had quite a serious nature and didn't really understand slapstick humour. But I was lured to read this one because I heard the very charismatic author, Phil Earle speak at the recent FCBG conference ( see my review under 'Events' section of the site). His enthusiasm as a performer and as a fierce advocate for writing books that would be both pleasurable and accessible to children was really infectious, so I decided to give one of his books a go.

Despite my nervousness, I am pleased to report that I have thoroughly enjoyed this wacky story about Jake, a boy who worships his dad and is also completely obsessed with wrestling, an passion shared by Earle himself. He lives in Storey Street, in a seaside town, a map of which is helpfully provided at the beginning plus a portrait gallery of the main characters. This feature was enough to convince me that I would like what followed because I really love this kind of pictorial detail in any book. His large but kindly dad, George, is an ex builder, whose job is now to demolish buildings. Although Jake greatly admires his skills in using a wrecking ball, he is more excited about George's weekend alter ego as 'Master of Disaster, King of Sting, wrestler extraordinaire, the one and only Demolition Man'. His son is his biggest fan and the plot unfolds as Jake and his friends secretly prepare to launch his dad onto the more glamorous and highly competitive US wrestling scene.

This is really vivid and energetic writing with echoes of Dahl, one of the author's acknowledged influences, in both the sometimes crazy plot and the memorable characters. The close loving relationship between a son and his father, still relatively rare in children's books, reminded me of 'Danny the Champion of the World' . The overall style made me think of Philip Ardagh, Alan Ahlberg, Michael Rosen and Raymond Briggs amongst other fine comic writers for children. Throughout this lively story there is a clever blend of anarchy and cosiness which I would guess is owed to Earle's own ongoing passion for cartoons and film. This means that there are recognisable references to comics like 'The Beano' and  popular shows like 'The Simpsons' are just below the surface as the story rollicks along. I also enjoyed the many wonderful detailed and very funny illustrations by Sara Ogilvie which are essential to the overall atmosphere of the story. 

This is a tale about an ordinary family with some loveable quirks. So, for example who couldn't like an ex air hostess mum who serves breakfast on a trolley with choices? And a family where the children are allowed to stay indoors and watch wrestling on the TV rather than play outside in the fresh air? There is plenty of unhealthy eating as well, real life experiences and absolutely no preaching. A family where dad has a huge belly but continues to graze messily on whatever is at hand, and to thoroughly enjoy doing so:

' Dad grinned, his bushy beard golden with the dust of a thousand cheddary snacks. It made him look lion- esque, which suited him. After all, he was King of the Ring.'

It's no wonder that children enjoy this kind of book that is written in a tradition that  importantly does not patronise its readers.  I will certainly be recommending it to others and to my surprise, very much looking forward to reading others in the series.

Karen Argent

9th April 2016