I Am Reading: The Double Life of Ted Amos by Simon James Green
The Double Life of Ted Amos by Simon James Green 👉
| Publisher: | Scholastic |
|---|---|
| Publish date: | 20 June 2024 |
Haven't we all wished we could reinvent ourselves? Be just a little bit cooler? Be respected? Edward does. To be honest, he'd settle for not being known as "Bin Juice Boy"…
Edward's life is a joke, and his streetcred is a negative number. The only good thing is his best friend Archie, who happily joins in with Edward's Star Wars geekery and who doesn't seem to mind what anyone thinks. And then Edward's life takes a turn – his mum and dad split up and he has to join his dad for the weekends. Suddenly, no one knows who he is. He could be anyone. He could be 'Ted'. He could be … cool. All he has to do is live two utterly different lives…
With Ted Amos, Green takes the classic double-life plot and has an absolute blast with it. The sheer number of silly gags and side-gags will keep you giggling, and the disastrous social awkwardness will make you cringe, but the book's heart lies in all the little ways Green shows you other lives. The cool kids who have their own insecurities and secret lives. The genuine geeky joy that Edward and his friend Archie share. And above all, Archie himself, who has had to spend his whole life fighting to be who he really is, and yet still has time for everyone else. He's hilarious, glorious, and wonderful.
Of course it's a book with a message, about being true to yourself. But it's so smoothly done, so light, and so much fun, that you can't help but snort all the way through. Silly, clever, heartwarming joy.