Basil Bop the Burper

Dianne Bates (author)

Caroline Magerl (illustrations)

Hodder Children's Books, Australia: 1996; 86pp

ISBN: 0733603696

Genres: adventure, humour

Basil Bop has a personal problem. One that is so disgusting his own parents run away to join a circus in order to get away from him.

Basil Bop burps - very, very loudly. At first living on his own seems great fun but Basil is soon bored. On one of his many rides into the surrounding countryside, Basil finds himself stranded one night without any food and only his rifle and his horse for company. After several civilised attempts to beg for food, Basil finds himself forced to become a bushranger in order to survive.

Life as a bushranger is lonely, however, and Basil misses his parents. He decides to return home and see if his parents have given up on the circus. Instead he finds a strange old lady - his grandmother - who seems to have a personal problem of her own!

Light-hearted fun, this is an amusing read alone novel that will appeal to younger readers.