Trent Roberts, Stunt Kids, Pan Macmillan, May 2022, 265 pp., RRP $16.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781760787783
Gretel Grey and her parents thought that a STUNT camp was a Sensible Totally Undangerous Never Thrilling camp.
IT WASN’T.
Gretel’s parents are super cautious, wrapping her in cotton wool (not really, as the narrator states “that would be too itchy”) so she doesn’t get hurt. She is home schooled, is not allowed outside and twelve-year-old Gretel has no friends.
When Gretel’s parents head off on holiday, they enrol her in a STUNT camp, which they thought was a Sensible, Totally, Undangerous, Never Thrilling camp. Of course, Stunt Camp is what it says it is. So begins the transformation from dull Gretel Grey into back flipping, rock climbing, stunt kid secret spy, Glory Flowers.
But the change doesn’t happen that quickly. The book appears to be set into two parts. The first half has Gretel dipping her toes in the world of stunts and getting to grips with her fear of damaging herself in the smallest ways. She teams up with a core group of fellow ‘stunters’ including Ollie, an open-minded kid who also happens to have a prosthetic leg called Bernie. Along with super supportive Flame and Rocket, Gretel takes the plunge on an obstacle course and finds the confidence inside herself to give stunts a go. Of course, there are the stunt pros who don’t warm to her, but this conflict creates balance in the story. The second half of the book is the reveal that they are also being trained to be super spies. Their first mission sees the band of misfits battling giant squids, jungle animals and booby traps. And it’s not the last mission for the Stunt Kids. Which is good news as readers will want to read more from them.
While the plot can be a slow burn at the start, the personal struggles of each character and endless humour hooked me into this book.
Written with tonnes of puns, Stunt Kids is filled with adventure, twists and turns, perfect for boys and girls 8-10 years old that love ‘gang of misfits’ stories.
Reviewed by Stef Gemmill
