SuitabookThe Blockbusters!
Frank Cottrell Boyce
- Reading
- Before reading, mention that comic adventures can also include housing insecurity and family separation. During the book, pause after major identity changes to ask what Rafa knows, wants and may be risking.
- Themes
- Home and belonging: Rafa’s family loses their home, changes schools and stays with an uncle; the adventure repeatedly contrasts celebrity glamour with his wish for family stability. The circumstances are treated as emotionally significant while remaining part of a comic adventure, with family care and people pulling together emphasised.
- Identity and performance: Rafa is mistaken for film star BB and takes her place in a production, travelling and appearing publicly while keeping the situation secret. The premise is used for humour and spectacle, but it also places Rafa in an unusual situation where his public role differs from his actual identity.
- Family separation and reunion: Cillian disappears after sending Rafa a clue, while Rafa’s mother is also absent during parts of the adventure; Rafa continues looking towards family. The book leaves its stance open to more than one reading.
- Worth knowing
- The story includes loss of a home, temporary living arrangements, a missing older brother, family strain and children experiencing deprivation. These circumstances are central enough to merit a check-in with a sensitive reader.