SuitabookWorst, holiday, ever
Amy Sparkes
- Reading
- Try reading the opening together, then pause to see how the reader responds to the island and cave. Continue independently or together according to their interest; the ending and later tone are unclear.
- Themes
- A dangerous-sounding treasure hunt: Blunderbeard follows a treasure map through a jungle said to contain pirate-eating creatures and towards a possibly haunted cave. The premise presents these as obstacles in a comic-sounding quest, but does not show whether the danger is played for laughs or treated seriously.
- Brothers and the unwanted holiday: Blunderbeard says his brother tricked him into the holiday and he is stuck on the island; the premise does not explain the brother’s actions further. The setup gives the narrator cause for complaint, but does not establish how the book evaluates the brother’s behaviour or their relationship.
- Worth knowing
- The adventure includes creatures described as eating pirates and a deepest, darkest cave described as probably haunted. These perilous and spooky elements may be worth bearing in mind for a reader sensitive to them.