Total Splashdown
Beth Garrod & Jess Hitchman, illustrated by Chris Danger
Scholastic

This is two stories in one book and features those five inflatable pool float pals, Flamingo, Cactus, Donut, Watermelon and Lynn Lilo, residents of Have a Great Spray Water Park.

The first, Do-Nut Panic sees the friends, led by Donut on an epic quest to find the one and only remaining Cookie of Contentment, thus preventing the closing down (so they think) of the Slip ’N’ Slice Pizza stall. Said quest is perhaps THE most dangerous on earth and certainly in the entire inflataverse. Needless to say their journey is fraught with dangers,

not to mention a fair few disasters as the puffed up pals head towards the desert island whereon said Cookie is heavily guarded by not one but three protectors, Fickle Pickle, Energetic Enchilada and Unimpressed Pretzel.
Could our questers be on a hiding to nothing? It certainly seems so when they fail dismally to sweet talk the three into handing over their keys. But our friends don’t give up that easily: let the show begin. Crumbs! That pretty much sums up the next few spreads but all ends let’s say, pretty tastily.

However before they’ve had time to digest those cloned goodies, the gang are off on another mega daft adventure: The Splash of the Titans. Bring on those Air-lympic Games – the most competitive day in the inflate calendar and bring on Team Watermelon. Needless to say there’s a lot of shenanigans from some of the other entrants but which team will emerge victorious, winners of the much coveted Golden Pump?

Replete with puns and jokes, these super-silly stories with those mega-dramatic black and white graphics will have readers rolling around at the delicious daftness of this graphic novel.

Press Start: Super Rabbit Racers!
Thomas Flintham
Nosy Crow

Book three in the Press Start graphic novel series follows along similar lines as the previous two, only Chris has joined Sunny and Rue to play the Super Rabbit video game, Rabbit Racers, which is new to him.

Obviously the main conflict is between the racers, with King Viking determined to win the Super Cup (a special power up that gives the winner the power of super speed) and he’ll go to any lengths to do so. However there’s also a bit of bad feeling at one stage between Sunny and Rue over an accidental sideswipe. With four races in all, who will be the victor in the Super Cup Grand Prix?

Like the previous books this fast moving tale is ideal for new solo readers with a penchant for video games.