Adrian Beck (text) and Scott Edgar (illustrations) Run for Your Life (Derek Dool Supercool #3), Puffin Books, January 2021, 256 pp, RRP $14.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781760892975
I haven’t contacted ancestry.com.au to confirm, but I’m nearly certain I’m related to Derek Dool. Five decades on, I’m still triggered by the sight of a volleyball (don’t ask) and the memory of pulling down the entire rope tow on my first visit to the ski slopes. We sports-challenged types need to rely on ingenuity to make our mark… like Derek Dool, who goes all out to win the school cross-country race and prove his awesomeness.
Hats off to Adrian Beck for delivering this fun story with high-octane entertainment, adventure, hijinks, and mystery. Run for Your Life features portaloos, Norwegians, bright lycra onesies, a spooky cabin, and a witch – what more could a reader want? Crammed with jokes and bonus material, this third book of the Derek Dool Supercool junior fiction series will undoubtedly appeal to young readers and the young-at-heart. Short chapters, eye-catching fonts and Scott Edgar’s lively black and white illustrations make this title an ideal choice for reluctant readers.
Reviewed by Maura Pierlot
