The funny, heart-warming sequel to the acclaimed We Won an Island.
When Luna’s family won an island, their dreams came true – Luna opened a donkey sanctuary, her sister flew a plane, and her brother won a sheep pageant. But Luna’s new donkey has a mortal fear of beaches, her mum’s goat-yoga business is on the rocks, and her brother is weirder than ever! Luna’s got a brilliant plan to solve her family’s problems – it’s time to enter the movie-making business…
This is a great second novel from Nosy Crow by Charlotte Lo following the adventures of Luna and pals as they battle against plans for the development and destruction of their beloved Wishnook, having won the island in the previous tale.
Full of hilarious moments and real laugh-out-loud humour - from a donkey charging at a yoga group on the beach, to continuing jokes about her dad's profiiency at whittling, trying to protect Fabien from anything meat-related, and her mum's cooking prowess - this was a riot of a read due to Charlotte Lo's ability to capture the voices of the characters so well - the constant bickering, jokes and comments absolutely nailing the voices of many a group of primary-aged children I've encountered as they 'work' together on a 'mission'! I think readers will also like the competitive element of the tale, as the two sets of movie-makers compete to make the best movie and persuade the judge to rule on Gold Rush Properties' plans one way or the other. I think readers will also like the range of characters within the book and find themselves or elements of their own personalities in one of the friends.
Alongside the humour though, there is a serious side to the plot as well, with the theme of development of rural areas, the challenges that this brings, and the potential effects and mixed feelings of the communities involved. This theme and these debates could easily be drawn out from the book by teachers using it in the classroom to provoke thoughtful discussion...I'm sure pupils would love to investigate and decide whether they should be #teammargot or #teamluna, or maybe even have a go at making their own persuasive movie about a contentious issue in their own locality!
I really enjoyed this book...I read it alongside my 9yr old daughter, Isla, and would suggest that that is about the right level for understanding of the themes and humour involved - this book would be a great class read in year 4, and a good independent text for more confident UKS2 readers.
I am thrilled to have been asked to be a part of the blogtour for the book, and that I am able to share an extract from the first chapter to whet your appetite for what's to come...
If you'd prefer to listen to some of the book, you can do so here:
Find out more about the book and order a copy here, at publisher Nosy Crow's website: https://nosycrow.com/product/we-made-a-movie/
Find out more about author Charlotte Lo at her author page here: nosycrow.com/contributor/charlotte-lo/ or by following her on Twitter as @lo_author
Thanks to Sian and Nosy Crow for the copy of the book and the place on the blogtour.
Review by Rich Simpson (@richreadalot) August 2021