THE SHRUNK SERIES and reviews

1. SHRUNK  –  When Tom Perks suddenly develops the ability to shrink things, as the result of a shooting star, he shrinks the planet Jupiter – and loses it.  In a search for Jupiter and friendship, he encounters the kind and wise Eric, battles with his selfish sister, Tilly and locks horns with the appalling but hugely entertaining Jacob.  It fits well with the KS2 science curriculum, with themes including, the solar system, light, distance, materials.  Suitable for reading aloud or keen readers aged 6+

Covers by Ross Collins.

2.  SHRUNK – MAYHEM AND METEORITES – Tom, Eric and Jacob are back but this time, Jacob and Eric also develop strange powers. One of fire, the other water, but they are going to need them to defeat Professor Lee the mad scientist who discovers the secret of Bywater-by-sea and its magical meteorites. The boys war with the girls of the town and ultimately unite to defeat Professor Lee and his dubious schemes.  Suitable to read aloud or for keen readers 7+

This book was written as part of THE STORY ADVENTURE so contains millions of ideas from hundreds of children.

3. SHRUNK – GHOSTS ON BOARD.

The mayor wants to build an amusement park on Eric’s beloved bird reserve, but new visitors are coming to Bywater By Sea in the form of ghosts from nearby Nightmare Island. Some ghosts are good, but Victor is especially evil and  Jacob falls right into the trap. The boys have to use every trick to avoid a terrible takeover and ultimately, to save the town.

Suitable to read aloud or for keen readers of 7+

This book was written as part of THE STORY ADVENTURE so contains millions of ideas from hundreds of children.

4.SUNK!

Things are not as they should be on the beach at Bywater-by-Sea.  Rampaging deckchairs and unreasonable windbreaks are making life very tricky for Albert Fogg, longshoreman. When four deckchairs attack a party of toddlers, Tom, Eric and Jacob step in to save the beach, and before long realize that there is much more at stake.

An exciting sequel to SHRUNK!  Suitable to read aloud or for keen readers of 6+  SUNK is not part of the Story Adventure and can be read straight after SHRUNK!  It will be published in June 2015

Reviews for SHRUNK:

Here from Nicolette Jones of the Sunday Times “Carrying its complicated premise lightly, this cleverly structured story will make its readers laugh out loud.”

A gem of a book” Mark Miodownik, broadcaster and scientist

Tom lives in a boring village called Bywater-by-Sea with his embarrassing wannabe-magician parents and absolutely no friends whatsoever. Then one night he wishes on a star and gains an incredible superpower: the ability to shrink loads and loads of stuff, including sheep, Jacob Devlin the school bully and (uh oh) the planet Jupiter. Utterly bonkers, uniquely British and completely loveable, it’s the zaniest book I’ve read all year. Sam Gayton, Daily Mail 

Here from bookbuzz “This imaginative and original debut from F.R. Hitchcock is a readable and entertaining roller-coaster ride, which will leave children wondering what they might miniaturize if they had Tom’s unusual and appealing magical ability. Full of lively humour and fun, this is a very promising first novel which is likely to have wide appeal”.

Here from Alison D  “This wonderful story has something for everyone to identify with; a quirky, likable main character …with an annoying little sister, he is also the new kid in town and struggling to make friends; an embarrassing granny and worse…embarrassing parents; a little bit of magic and science fiction thrown in (disappearing planets, shooting stars, meteorites, rumoured alien abductions and the possible end of the world); a horrid bully (who Tom shrinks down to size – literally and figuratively and renders harmless for a while); funny animals and lots and lots of humor. If you like British humor (e.g. David Walliams or Andy Stanton, even Roald Dahl) then you will really enjoy this story. I loved it! It will be on our new book display early in term 1.”

This from Love Reading for Kids. “How Tom, who already lives in a model village and so is used to small scale things, makes use of his special power is a lively and funny adventure.”

Here from We Love this Book “This is a wonderful story with laugh-out-loud moments; it’s easy to get carried along by the tale and imagine how Tom can get out of trouble. The characters are original and fun and develop well with the story. There are also a host of interesting facts about Jupiter which will appeal to children who like science. Young readers will be entranced by the idea of miniature animals and objects; the descriptions of these are fantastic. Shrunk! comes highly recommended for newly confident readers”

Here from Zac Harding: “Shrunk! is F.R. Hitchcock’s first children’s book and I hope I get to read many more of her stories.  Shrunk! is perfect for children who like funny stories or stories with a touch of magic or science.  It’s a great book for children to read themselves and it also works really well as a read aloud (for around 8 years and older).  It’s a short read too so it’s great for reluctant readers. 5 out of 5 stars”

Click on the highlighted links for full reviews.