The far-out five: Snot Jelly Island by Olaf Falafel

When four friends visit a carnival magic show a unique set of circumstances, including a magic word uttered by an incompetent magician, an electrical storm and a butterfly fart, lead to them being transformed into Spewnicorn, a rainbow spewing unicorn, Tubbs, a walking  bathtub, a blue footed booby, Bloof, and a super cool seal called Jeff. The magician too is transformed, no longer the Great Waldini, but Wally the koala with a magic pouch. All five are caught up in a mega tornado and dumped into the sea, luckily Tubbs is perfect for adventuring and they have been travelling in search of Wally’s lost magic wand and battling weird creatures like Bat-erpillars, Porcupineapples and the Plop Mess Monster. They have visited strange places like Chess Island where they could only move one space at a time, Mudland and the Island of Teachers where they were told to stop talking. The latest is the home of the Bum Faced Woodlouse and their task is to free the villagers who have been transformed by the evil Meduli into wobbly green statues made of a substance they call snot jelly. Bum jokes abound as the five call a Bab-Uner and climb into the basket lifted by its inflatable bum to find and defeat the worm headed creature with the transforming stare, a feat which of course involves the reflection off a pug’s bum.

Bursting with colour and action with great characters embracing their new personas the fast-paced story is interleaved with asides, like spot the difference and advert breaks (including “Educator Away” spray) with lots to see on every page.   I liked the way the five worked together using their special talents for good, like changing Craig the Cowardly’s name to Craig the Courageous. My 11-year-old grandson read it twice in quick succession and highly recommended it. Olaf Falafel brings all of his skills as a standup comedian and illustrator to this fun graphic novel which will be popular with those familiar with his joke book A Poo on a Pogo Stick and his huge online following.

Themes: Graphic novel, Adventure, Cartoon humour, Friendship.

Sue Speck