Spectacular School Trip (Really...)

The irrepressible Tom Gates is once again facing challenges in his life. He has three sad faces on the 5F Achievement Chart because of various infractions. He doodled a picture of his teacher, Mr. Fullerman, during quiet time. Derek’s dog Rooster ran off with his homework. Tom and Derek were late for school because they took too long choosing a snack at the shop. Now, Tom has to face the possibility of not going on the school trip if he gets another sad face!

The newest homework assignment is to create a poster about things that students like for the school’s Open Day event. There is also a new Doodle Wall set up by the local council so that kids can be creative. Mr. Fullerman encourages his students to draw on the new wall. Their school trip is planned for the biscuit factory. Tom’s band is asked to play at the Open Day event. Tom is very enthusiastic about all of these possibilities.

However, life soon gets in the way, and Tom’s good intentions are thwarted. His trip to the Doodle Wall with his father and friends, Amy and Derek, is a disaster. They go to the wrong street and are caught in the act of drawing on the wrong wall by a mysterious woman. Tom’s father tries to “fix” the mistake, but can he do it without getting involved with the police? Tom forgets his poster at home and gets a fourth sad face. His grandparents, the Fossils, are planning to remarry. His grandfather wants to wear the family Top Hat, but Tom sits on it. His mother wants to wear a vintage dress to the ceremony, but Tom manages to damage it. His sister Delia is expecting an important package, but Tom loses it. Tom’s life has become quite complicated!

Liz Pichon has once again used words and doodles to tell this amusing and endearing story. The text is full of tiny graphics of Tom’s expressions as well as images of events in the storyline. Although this book is technically not a graphic novel, fans of this genre will be drawn to this unique mix of text and graphical elements. At the end of the novel, Pichon includes instructions on “How to Make a Simple Kazoo” as well as a template for making a Congratulations Card. She also includes a useful glossary of words since this storyline takes place in England. Some of the words Tom uses are not common here in North America.

In Spectacular School Trip (Really...), the 17th book in the “Tom Gates” series, Tom is balancing all the competing challenges in his life. His family keeps him busy with his sister Delia’s moods and demands, his father’s new novelty car, his mother’s love for vintage clothing, and his grandparents’ marriage renewal ceremony. New readers will enjoy exploring Tom’s life as a student in Mr. Fullerton’s 5F class. They will be able to his difficult relationship with homework, his love of sweets, and his problems with fellow students. Those readers who have come to love the Tom Gates series will continue to enjoy his complicated life!