THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF JIMMY CRIKEY

A young outcast finds new friends in a magical underground land in this middle-grade novel.

Jimmy Crikey is a little boy with blue eyes, bright red hair, pointy ears, and adult-sized feet. Jimmy lives with his Aunt Ethel and is happy at home. But at school, he is teased and bullied because of his appearance. In Part 1 of the book, Jimmy runs away in search of greater acceptance and falls down a hole into Roombelow, an underground world. Jimmy makes his first real friend when he rescues Gemma, a “little lady,” from the bottom of the town well. He is soon accepted by the townsfolk, who are quick to recognize his kindheartedness and selfless bravery. After a flurry of brief escapades, it is clear that Jimmy has found a new home. Part 2 is more measured and takes Jimmy and Gemma to Lithania, a nearby land of caverns and tunnels. Lithania is lit by precious crystals, the theft of which brings about a great adventure. In Part 3 of the book, Jimmy returns by spaceship to his birthplace—the planet Attalia, where all the men have red hair, pointed ears, and feet as big as Jimmy’s. In this last episode, can Jimmy help the peace-loving Attalians defend their world from Kursh, the militant leader of the nearby planet Ock? Jimmy’s adventures call to mind Enid Blyton’s classic Noddy stories or, more recently, the Tashi books of Anna Fienberg. Jimmy and his friends are models of good behavior and succeed due to their positive qualities. For the most part, the perils they find themselves in are those of circumstance and misunderstanding (rather than villainy). The danger is therefore safe for young readers. Briggs writes in a straightforward manner but with a vocabulary stretching to the upper reaches of the target age group. The pacing of the three sections changes from fast to slow to medium, but the characters are lovable, upbeat, and ever bonhomous. Occasional full-page pencil images by debut illustrator Sledzikowska bring them further to life. Budding bookworms will find plenty to chew on.

A wholesome, heartwarming series of exploits.