Children's Books: Cal and the Amazing Anti-Gravity Machine

Cal and the Amazing Anti-Gravity Machine by Richard Hamilton. Illustrated by Sam Hearn. Bloomsbury Children's  Books, €7.40. Ages 12+

Cal Barraclough and his parents have just moved into what should be an ideal new house. But, on the other side of the boundary wall, there lives Mr Frout with his infernal metal machines that bump and grind all day long as he pursues one impossible dream invention after another.

Mr Frout doesn't like children but when things go badly wrong, he is forced to appeal to Cal for help. Cal is totally intrigued by Mr Frout and is only too happy to gain an entry into the gadget-filled, totally tilted world of this inventor and his amazing anti-gravity machine.

Like a Greek chorus to this carry-on is Frankie, a laconic, hypochondriac dog with whom Cal can talk. When it comes to summing up events, Cal's mother proves very useful. Her years of sub-editing the local newspaper has left her with a tendency to speak in headlines. ‘Mad Metal Monster Terrorises Neat Neighbourhood.' ‘Nasty Neighbour Turns Nice.' ‘A Scene of Indescribable Devastation.'

The detailed illustrations by Sam Hearn greatly add to the lunacy of the tale. I particularly liked the fact that Mr Frout bears a marked resemblance to Don Quixote.
A great read that will make  you laugh out loud.