Billionaire BoyBy David WalliamsBillionaire Boy is one of a collection of books written by comedian David Walliams. It was recommended to me by a friend who worked as a nanny and had read the book to the Russian child she cared for. I was dubious at first because of the celebrity author, thinking it was just another ploy to sell and because it appeared very similar to the style of my favourite child writer, Roald Dahl. This book had me drawn in from cover to cover and is an absolutely hysterical and moral-laden story for children and for adults due to the mild adult references throughout.The story is about 12 year old Joe Spud and his life as the son of a self made billionaire. Joe has everything he has ever wanted due to his dad’s invention of a magic type of toilet roll but has no friends to share his wealth with. Feeling very lonely and sad one day, he decides to move from his posh school to a more run of the mill school in order to become ‘normal’ again; with the help of his new friend Bob and a few other characters he soon learns that this isn’t so easy.....Influenced by the style of Roald Dahl, the story is written with a dark and dry sense of humour; both witty and silly it is perfect for both male and female readers of an upper primary school age. One of the key strengths of this book is its use of language, using simple terminology and vocabulary it is child friendly but still manages to introduce a small quantity of more challenging and alternative adjective words to improve confidence with new words. The introduction of new vocabulary helps to describe scenes and characters more vividly and adds to the book’s appeal.The characters introduced are varied, dramatic, humourous and true to life – as a school kid, you could definately relate to them e.g. dinner lady, old headmaster, the school bullies, the shopkeeper. Each character is an heightened version of what we might find in real life to keep the comedy value.I particulalrly liked the author’s presence throughout the story, as if somebody was actually narrating it to a group of children. For me, I found this created suspense and more humour.My only criticism of the book would be its tendenancy to drag on a little towards the end. I felt that the story may have been a little long for some readers particulalrly those that are not so confident and they may have lost interest however, it would be ideal for reading over a term or a few weeks within a class of children.Billionaire Boy would be an ideal tool in the classroom regarding creative writing lessons, alone and group reading. It would be ideal for building reading and literacy confidence as it isn't too overwhelming in the style of text and language. An ideal creative task for this age group would be to ask the child to write a ‘postscript’ for the characters of their favourite book like the one at the end of this story; explaining what a ‘postscript’ is and why it is used. A more literacy focused lesson plan would be to encourage children to make a list of words from the book they are not confident with in reference to spelling and meaning using a dictionary to clarify and think of some other words that have similar meanings; Joe Spud for a 12 year old has everything a young boy could want and even more because he is the richest boy in the world.Most would be happy with a racing car, a butler and everything money can but. But, Joe Spud wants one thing that money can not buy..... A true friend.Joe Spud tries to hide the fact that he is a billionaire from Bob, but Bob finds out when they visit Raj's sweet shop one day. Bob remains loyal and true to his word that he will keep it to himself that Joe is a millionaire. One day a girl comes in to the picture, Bob tries to look out for Joe but Joe thinks Bob is jealous of him and their friendship falls apart, Joe ends it on a very spiteful note.Raj the sweet shop owner ends up being Joe's confidante and soon make Joe realise the error of his ways.Joe has a lot of making up to do to amend his friendship with Bob. Will he be able to do it? Read it to find out.
What do You think about Billionaire Boy (2010)?
My 9 year old has read this 4 times now & he still loves it. I can see why.
—amanda
Very funny and heartwarming both me and my friends still love it
—dukle97
cool book. not too long compared to some other chapter books.
—Symone
This book is funny and great. My favourite
—popoville1
