Top

A Storey Street novel: Demolition Dad

On sale

7th May 2015

Price: £7.99

Leicester Libraries Our Best Book Award, 2016

Select a format

Selected: ebook / ISBN-13: 9781444013870

Disclosure: If you buy products using the retailer buttons above, we may earn a commission from the retailers you visit.

CBBC Book of the Month, June 2017

Perfect for fans of David Walliams, Roald Dahl and Liz Pichon, this is a hilarious and warm-hearted story about family, friends and wrestling by multi-award-shortlisted author Phil Earle, illustrated by award-winning artist, Sara Ogilvie.

This is the story of Jake Biggs and his dad, George. George spends all week knocking down buildings … and all weekend knocking down wrestlers! He’s the Demolition Man, and Jake couldn’t be prouder. But when Jake hears about a pro-wrestling competition in the USA, and persuades his beloved dad to apply, things don’t quite turn out the way he expected …

Phil Earle’s first novel for younger readers of 9-11, DEMOLITION DAD is DANNY THE CHAMPION OF THE WORLD in Spandex, a book bursting with humour and heart. Perfect for Father’s Day this June!

Reviews

Andrea Reece, Love Reading 4 Kids
A warm, funny and genuinely touching story of family relationships, in a lycra wrapping
DAVID TAZZYMAN, illustrator of MR GUM
Sara Ogilvie's beautifully drawn illustrations add real life and humour
School Librarian
The author creates a chatty relationship with the reader, with nifty asides and jokey puns as he weaves a quirky and frankly ridiculous story ... a very funny book for 8-10 year olds, who, I'm sure, will love it
LIZ PICHON, author of TOM GATES
Phil "BOOKCRUSHER" Earle has written one funny, fabulous, pile driving BLAST of a book. (Read it in Lycra for full wrestling experience.)
CAROUSEL
A brilliant story about family and caring... Phil Earle has a turn of phrase that is second to none. The illustrations by the talented Sarah Ogilvie bring the story to life ... a brilliant combination of illustration and text
KATHERINE RUNDELL, author of ROOFTOPPERS
The funniest book I've read this year. It's a wonderful mix of heart, wit and wrestling Lycra
BOOKS FOR KEEPS
Contemporary stories involving long-term loving relations between father and son other than Roald Dahl's Danny the Champion of the World are not always easy to find, and Phil Earle plugs this gap to the full.
MINERVA READS
Phil Earle's fictional father comes about as close to Danny the Champion's Dad as I can find. However, as with much children's fiction I've been reading recently, this is a depiction of a modern Dad who fits right into our current world... If you buy your Dad just one book this Father's Day - make it this one (then keep it for yourself).
ROBIN STEVENS, author of MURDER MOST UNLADYLIKE
Warm, funny and heartfelt
Books for Keeps
A heart-warming story with a very happy ending. The multiple award-winning Sara Ogilvie and her scratchy comic drawings make a perfect foil for this lively and affectionate story.
The School Librarian
A light-hearted, funny story with a nail-biting conclusion ... The story whizzes along, while Sarah Ogilvie's humorous line drawings are a perfect complement to the text. The first of a promised series, Demolition Dad will be enjoyed by even the most reluctant of readers
Cara, The Guardian
This book was so fun my parents got angry I wasn't coming to eat lunch!
THE BOOKBAG
A wrestling story with heart. Funny and very, very readable!
The Bookseller
Masses of humour, heart, some cracking jokes and moments of real poignancy
Daily Mail
Underneath the high-octane humour and silliness, Earle weaves in powerful themes of father/son relationships, bullying, depression, self-esteem, failure and even frustrated career women. But mostly of love. This is a gloriously life-affirming novel: funny, sensitive, intelligent and with a heart as big as George's waistline.
Kieran Fanning
The writing is laugh-aloud funny, as are the antics ... this book has jokes that will appeal to adults and kids alike
PETERS BOOKSELLERS
Sweet story of friendship with highly emotive illustrations which will resonate with those with younger siblings. A warm sharing read, well worth having.
CENTRE FOR LITERACY IN PRIMARY EDUCATION
The humour is woven through a story which is full of well formed characters and, as well as the slapstick, the book also deals with realistically portrayed emotions and relationships, dreams, harsh realities, media manipulation, families and friendship. Thoughtfully illustrated by Sara Ogilvie the illustrations support the text with their own mixture of humour and sensitivity. This is a book that can be read individually and it would also be a good read aloud or great to share with a book group. It's definitely one children will want to return to and I hope that the last words "(not) the end" mean that there may be more from Phil aimed at this age range.