The Floods 2: Playschool

Colin Thompson (author/illustrator)

Random House, Australia: 2006; 213pp

ISBN: 1741660262 

Genres: humour, satire

Quicklime College in darkest Patagonia – a place where young witches and wizards are trained in all the necessary skills: 'Quicklime is a place you go back to your whole life. If you have a problem you can't solve, you can always find the answer at Quicklime's, either in the great library or in the brains of the professors, who have lived for thousands of years.' (p12)

While Quicklime students do engage in learning, the most exciting day of the year is Sports Day. Featured sports include the incredibly violent and physically dangerous Gristleball although there are simpler things, such as three-legged races (where entire families have to put forward only three legs in total). This year the Sports Day threatens even more excitement because Orkward Warlock, the vilest boy in the school, is plotting to assassinate the Flood family. Why? Jealousy, hatred, call it what you will: basically he's stupid and it seems like a good idea at the time. Can the six Flood children use their considerable ingenuity, ability and perspicacity to foil Orkward's dastardly plans? Of course they can. For one thing, they have the genius Winchflat on their team.

Another entertaining adventure in the Flood family chronicles, Thompson's characteristically pun-riddled prose with detailed footnotes will delight readers who enjoy a certain degree of 'grossness' in their humour.

Great fun.

Same series: The Floods 1: Neighbours