The Brain Sucker by Glenn Wood

The Brain Sucker by Glenn Wood. Pub. Walker Books, 2012.

A great read-a-loud book for primary and intermediate students.

Lester Smythe is a bad dude. He was ridiculed and treated mean by his teachers and class mates and vows to rid the world of human kindness. I thought it already was but that is the cynic in me.

As an adult and a very clever one, he invents a brain sucking machine consisting of a glass flask with a machine inside and a suction cup which when attached to a sleeping child or adult, sucks all the kindness and goodness out of them as a green blob. I know a few people like that and I expect you do too.

Fortunately there are some good people out there and wheelchair bound Callum and his best friends Sophie who is an inventor par excellence, and the accident prone Jinx, set out to stop Lester.

A very imaginative and well written adventure/science fiction/fantasy novel with a great dollop of humour. Some of Glenn Woods descriptions are brilliant. The villains are loathsome but dangerous and there is a slapstick nature to the action.

Well told and very appealling. I hope this guy is a kiwi. I have learnt that he is a Kiwi.