Double Trouble: Prank Alert

Double Trouble: Prank Alert by Fiona Regan, illustrated by Louis Shea (Scholastic Australia)

PB RRP $3.99

ISBN 978-1-74283-856-4

Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

Tommy and Coop are identical twins. They are twice the fun but double the trouble. They are sports nuts, Tommy loves tennis while Coop is into soccer, but their favourite pastime of all is pulling pranks. Will their latest school prank lead them into double the punishment?

These boys are cheeky and fun. Their pranks are harmless ones, such as swapping the tennis ball with a ballistic bouncer during a game of handball (they get noticed before it gets too out of hand). They also take their punishment well.

Louis Shea, is well known as a picture book illustrator. His style is instantly recognisable and the black and white pictures in this book feature his humour and expressive faces. They work really well with the text.

The Double Trouble series is pitched to the 5+ readership, following the popular Ella and Olivia series, but this time for boys. Easy words, large text, short chapters, funny pictures and cheeky boys all combine to make this a very readable series for beginners. With its low price, this introductory title is sure to fly off the shelves and into the hands of many young boys.