Louis beside Himself (Anna Fienberg, A&U)

Readers looking to move on from the Wimpy Kid and challenge themselves more forcefully with the written word will enjoy Anna Fienberg’s latest offering for boys aged 10-13 years—a comical tale about wrestling, adjective-flexing and finding your inner hero. Though hailing from a family of wrestlers, 13-year-old Louis would rather be reading and adding to his word bank than practising moves with his dad in the lounge. His father just wants to prepare Louis for danger, but words have always saved Louis—until a burglar jumps through his window one night and Louis freezes. Beside himself, Louis suddenly falls into the worst week of his life where nothing seems to go right. Wrestling and reading make a surprising but complementary tag-team as Louis discovers being a ‘word man’ can be just as awesome as being a wrestler—but words alone mean little unless they’re used properly. Fienberg’s cheeky narrative style works well, drawing the reader’s attention to how language is used, while throwing plenty of vocabulary-expanding words into the mix (glossary included). Broader, more serious themes flesh out this light-hearted take on the idea that strength and courage comes from within—not from a steel chair hidden beneath the ring.

Meredith Lewin is a Sydney-based freelance proofreader and reviewer (and lifelong WWE fan) who has worked for a children’s publisher

Books+Publishing pre-publication reviews are supported by the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund.

Category: Reviews