Bumpfizzle is an alien, sent to Earth from Planet Plonk on a research mission. Or is he really just a ten-year-old boy who is feeling a bit disgruntled at all the attention his parents are lavishing on The Baby? It is up to readers to make up their own minds. Either way, Bumpfizzle's confusion at Earthling behaviours, as reported in his diary and his frequent reports back to Plonk, are hilarious, and his adventures are ridiculous, from eating the cat's food (it makes him throw up, always good for attention) to biting his teacher (to check if humans would make a good source of food for Plonkers) and attempting to sacrifice a goat (he soon discovers what goats' horns are for).
Patricia Forde lives in Galway, in the west of Ireland. She has published six books for children, and written two plays, as well as several television drama series for children and teenagers. She has worked as a writer on both English and Irish language soap operas. In another life, she was a primary school teacher and the artistic director of Galway Arts Festival.
Title: Bumpfizzle the Best on Planet Earth
Author: Forde, Patricia
ISBN: 9781912417032
Binding:
Publisher: Little Island
Publication Date: 2018-06-01
Number of Pages: 128
Weight: 0.2001 kg
'The real triumph, and there are many, is that the narration does not let up at all. Forde is enjoying herself immensely and her enjoyment and energy is infectious.'
-- Des Kenny * The Galway Advertiser *
'The book was funny. It was very funny. There weren't jokes, but it just made me laugh ... People who like books with cartoons, and who read Roald Dahl would probably like this book. If I had to describe it in three words, I would say: aliens , funny , funky ... and surprising . I'd recommend it to my friend Brooke. You don't know her.'
-- Sienna (age 11) * The Dublin Inquirer *
'The book is rich with contemporary reference and comedy, as Forde uses the alien perspective to offer the reader an alternative view of familiar family conflicts and academic challenges. Elina Braslina's illustrations, meanwhile, bring life to Forde's characters with an expressive clarity that effectively undermines the details of Bumpfizzle's letters and points readers towards his dissembling. But that's aliens for you: they just cannot be trusted.'
* The Irish Times *
'... his purportedly extraterrestrial perspective and bombastic voice propel this tongue-in-cheek misadventure.'
* Publishers Weekly *