I was pleasantly surprised by this book, which I picked up for my son and ended up reading myself. It was funny, and I love hearing an aussie voice, and places I actually recognised. What was surprising was that it had some real story to it, I think I was expecting boys and monsters and girl germs and toilet humour. But it really told the story of how hard it can be to be a kid, with the hassles of the school yard, and wondering what's going on all around you, and having no power to change anything. Throw in a single parent family and you have a story that kids can really relate to. And it did all that while being entertaining. A great book to get your boys to read. I can see why this book was shortlisted by the Childrens Book Council for Book of the Year. ( )