Lara Williamson, Just call me Spaghetti-Hoop Boy

This story is told by 11-year-old Adam Butters who initially seems very happy in his adopted family, where he has lived since he was a baby. He loves eating spaghetti-hoops and has warn a bobble hat for as long as he can remember. When his teacher sets a homework project to create a family tree, Adam becomes rather uncertain about his place in his family. This is made worse when he overhears some confusing conversations between Mum and Dad and they seem to be keeping secrets from the children for the first time. Adam decides he wants to be a super-hero to make everything right and that he needs to find his ‘real’ mum. The story follows Adam as he learns what it means to be loved, to be a true friend and, at last, who he really is.

Just call me Spaghetti-Hoop Boy is comic in places but also makes you want to cry in others! One of the funniest parts in the book is when the family organise a birthday party for Velvet’s (Adam’s younger sister) imaginary (invisible) dog, Sausage Roll… Things also get a bit silly when Dad tries to break Mum’s new rules about eating healthy food by giving the children pizza, chips and sweets in secret…

This is a fun book with some serious messages that is most likely to appeal to Y5 and Y6 (and older) readers.