SuitabookOperation Gadgetman!
Malorie Blackman
- Reading
- Read alongside the child rather than pre-warning about particular scenes. Pause to discuss what makes the device dangerous and how Beans and her friends respond; afterwards, revisit whether the resolution feels reassuring or troubling.
- Themes
- Invention and responsibility: Gadgetman accidentally invents a device that could be used to steal millions of pounds. The premise raises questions about unintended consequences, but it is unclear whether the book endorses, criticises or simply uses the invention as an adventure device.
- Family loyalty and friendship: Beans joins with her friends to track down the people who kidnapped her father. The action places loyalty and cooperation at the centre of the stated conflict, without establishing whether the risks or choices are praised or questioned.
- Crime and danger: The wrong people learn about a potentially valuable device, and Gadgetman is kidnapped. The book’s stance on this remains unclear.
- Worth knowing
- Kidnapping, threatened theft of a large sum of money and an effort to rescue a parent are central stated dangers. Consider whether the reader would welcome suspense involving family separation and criminal behaviour.