Books

A heart-warming story with a very happy ending. The multiple award-winning Sara Ogilvie and her scratchy comic drawings make a perfect foil for this lively and affectionate story.

Books for Keeps

This book was so fun my parents got angry I wasn't coming to eat lunch!

The Guardian

A warm, funny and genuinely touching story of family relationships, in a lycra wrapping

Love Reading 4 Kids

The author creates a chatty relationship with the reader, with nifty asides and jokey puns as he weaves a quirky and frankly ridiculous story ... a very funny book for 8-10 year olds, who, I'm sure, will love it

School Librarian

Phil "BOOKCRUSHER" Earle has written one funny, fabulous, pile driving BLAST of a book. (Read it in Lycra for full wrestling experience.)

LIZ PICHON, author of TOM GATES

Sara Ogilvie's beautifully drawn illustrations add real life and humour

DAVID TAZZYMAN, illustrator of MR GUM

The funniest book I've read this year. It's a wonderful mix of heart, wit and wrestling Lycra

KATHERINE RUNDELL, author of ROOFTOPPERS

Warm, funny and heartfelt ... A phenomenal book

ROBIN STEVENS, author of MURDER MOST UNLADYLIKE

The humour is woven through a story which is full of well formed characters and, as well as the slapstick, the book also deals with realistically portrayed emotions and relationships, dreams, harsh realities, media manipulation, families and friendship ... It's definitely one children will want to return to

CENTRE FOR LITERACY IN PRIMARY EDUCATION

Contemporary stories involving long-term loving relations between father and son other than Roald Dahl's Danny the Champion of the World are not always easy to find, and Phil Earle plugs this gap to the full.

BOOKS FOR KEEPS

Sweet story of friendship with highly emotive illustrations which will resonate with those with younger siblings. A warm sharing read, well worth having.

PETERS BOOKSELLERS

Phil Earle's fictional father comes about as close to Danny the Champion's Dad as I can find. However, as with much children's fiction I've been reading recently, this is a depiction of a modern Dad who fits right into our current world... If you buy your Dad just one book this Father's Day - make it this one (then keep it for yourself).

MINERVA READS

A wrestling story with heart. Funny and very, very readable!

THE BOOKBAG

A brilliant story about family and caring... Phil Earle has a turn of phrase that is second to none. The illustrations by the talented Sarah Ogilvie bring the story to life ... a brilliant combination of illustration and text

CAROUSEL

Underneath the high-octane humour and silliness, Earle weaves in powerful themes of father/son relationships, bullying, depression, self-esteem, failure and even frustrated career women. But mostly of love. This is a gloriously life-affirming novel: funny, sensitive, intelligent and with a heart as big as George's waistline.

Daily Mail

Masses of humour, heart, some cracking jokes and moments of real poignancy

The Bookseller

A light-hearted, funny story with a nail-biting conclusion ... The story whizzes along, while Sarah Ogilvie's humorous line drawings are a perfect complement to the text. The first of a promised series, Demolition Dad will be enjoyed by even the most reluctant of readers

The School Librarian

The writing is laugh-aloud funny, as are the antics ... this book has jokes that will appeal to adults and kids alike

Kieran Fanning