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Oscar vs the Grand Old Dude Named York
A hilarious, fast-paced tale about a boy, a necklace, his crush and how the booby traps set by his maniacal neighbour save the day. The perfect book for fans of David Walliams and L. Pinchon's Tom Gates series, who are moving onto the next readership level.
Oscar’s life has become a mystery. He has no idea why his grandfather bequeathed him a necklace – of all things! He could give it to Tiffany Crandle, if she actually knew he existed! The only one who does notice him is his neighbour Basil York, who apparently wants him dead – at least that’s what the weird-and-definitely-not-wonderful daily booby traps he sets for him seem to imply! Things get even stranger when his grandfather’s shop is burgled, and suddenly Oscar, his friend Maddie are in danger. Who knew that an old necklace would turn out to be such bait for bad guys?
Oscar has more going on a kid in Year 7 should have to deal with … and Basil York might just turn out to be the biggest mystery of all.
Oscar’s life has become a mystery. He has no idea why his grandfather bequeathed him a necklace – of all things! He could give it to Tiffany Crandle, if she actually knew he existed! The only one who does notice him is his neighbour Basil York, who apparently wants him dead – at least that’s what the weird-and-definitely-not-wonderful daily booby traps he sets for him seem to imply! Things get even stranger when his grandfather’s shop is burgled, and suddenly Oscar, his friend Maddie are in danger. Who knew that an old necklace would turn out to be such bait for bad guys?
Oscar has more going on a kid in Year 7 should have to deal with … and Basil York might just turn out to be the biggest mystery of all.
- GenresMiddle Grade
186 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 1, 2024
5 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 17, 2024
I really enjoyed this kids fiction novel, as did my children who are 12 and 10 1/2. It has the right balance of kids humour, there is lots of LOL and not only at fart & butt jokes! There was adventure, excitement and tussle between good guys and bad guys.
Oscar is a great character who was really relatable to my two in that like my 12yo, he’s experiencing his first crush. But more importantly, he talks about the loss of his Grandfather, their relationship and how much he misses him. While it’s not dwelled on in a way that would upset children who haven’t experienced loss, for those who have, it gives them some reassurance that they are not alone. Likewise, there were a couple of instances where Oscar’s best friend played with other kids at lunchtime, and again, it’s not a focus, but it shows other kids that it does happen and you will be ok.
I hope we can meet up with Oscar again in future novels, I’d love to see what happens next.
Oscar is a great character who was really relatable to my two in that like my 12yo, he’s experiencing his first crush. But more importantly, he talks about the loss of his Grandfather, their relationship and how much he misses him. While it’s not dwelled on in a way that would upset children who haven’t experienced loss, for those who have, it gives them some reassurance that they are not alone. Likewise, there were a couple of instances where Oscar’s best friend played with other kids at lunchtime, and again, it’s not a focus, but it shows other kids that it does happen and you will be ok.
I hope we can meet up with Oscar again in future novels, I’d love to see what happens next.
September 9, 2024
Fabulous middle grade book! It was funny and adventurous and a great mystery of why Mr York was so mean to Oscar. I really enjoyed reading this one and I think it's perfect for kids in upper primary and lower secondary!
August 25, 2024
Funny and heart warming!
Oscar is the hero every Year 7 needs in their life - he doesn’t always get things right, but he is brave and he gives us hope!
Oscar is the hero every Year 7 needs in their life - he doesn’t always get things right, but he is brave and he gives us hope!
July 14, 2025
“That murderous old fart is up to something”
Have you ever wondered what you would get if you combined the humour of Andy Griffiths and the intense action of Tristan Bancks? Well, you get Ross Curnow and his debut novel, ‘Oscar vs the Grand Old Dude Named York’ - a perfect blend of humour, friendship, mystery and action that you won’t be able to put down.
Apart from dodging the hurls of abuse and heavy items from a crazy old neighbour who seems to want him dead, Oscar is your average 13 year old dealing with sassy sisters, first crushes and his burgeoning social status at high school. That is until police come knocking on his door with questions about the burglary at his grandfather’s shop and an old fancy necklace, a necklace that Oscar possesses and has no plans on handing over unless it’s to that cute girl in his Geography class. Oscar quickly finds himself entangled in a mystery that involves more break-ins, chase scenes and of course some flying woks. Will Oscar manage to unravel the mystery of this secretive necklace or will his luck dodging flying objects and bad guys finally run out?
This may well be my favourite read of 2025 so far. Curnow starts us off on a humorous ride that follows the trials and tribulations of Oscar’s everyday life, but quickly diverts it into a fast paced mystery full of nerve wracking action. You’ll be enthralled how Curnow captures the essence of a very funny and entertaining 13 year-old Oscar. With a witty observational tone that’s not too silly but is engaging and perfectly balanced, you will be in constant stitches. Throw in some relatable experiences for pre-teens and you have a book that is perfect for middle aged students. Thanks Ross for taking me on this ride, I hope there are more adventures of Oscar to follow.
Have you ever wondered what you would get if you combined the humour of Andy Griffiths and the intense action of Tristan Bancks? Well, you get Ross Curnow and his debut novel, ‘Oscar vs the Grand Old Dude Named York’ - a perfect blend of humour, friendship, mystery and action that you won’t be able to put down.
Apart from dodging the hurls of abuse and heavy items from a crazy old neighbour who seems to want him dead, Oscar is your average 13 year old dealing with sassy sisters, first crushes and his burgeoning social status at high school. That is until police come knocking on his door with questions about the burglary at his grandfather’s shop and an old fancy necklace, a necklace that Oscar possesses and has no plans on handing over unless it’s to that cute girl in his Geography class. Oscar quickly finds himself entangled in a mystery that involves more break-ins, chase scenes and of course some flying woks. Will Oscar manage to unravel the mystery of this secretive necklace or will his luck dodging flying objects and bad guys finally run out?
This may well be my favourite read of 2025 so far. Curnow starts us off on a humorous ride that follows the trials and tribulations of Oscar’s everyday life, but quickly diverts it into a fast paced mystery full of nerve wracking action. You’ll be enthralled how Curnow captures the essence of a very funny and entertaining 13 year-old Oscar. With a witty observational tone that’s not too silly but is engaging and perfectly balanced, you will be in constant stitches. Throw in some relatable experiences for pre-teens and you have a book that is perfect for middle aged students. Thanks Ross for taking me on this ride, I hope there are more adventures of Oscar to follow.
November 30, 2024
I kind of vomit at boys who drool over "popular" girls just because they are "beautiful", but who are clearly stuck up, rude, arrogant, and narcissistic. Do we really need to perpetuate even for a moment that physical appearance is a girl's primary attractor and that physical appearance in any way allows one to act like an a**hole?
I'm hoping that he learnt his lesson about the qualities of people worth your time (not to mention the obvious value of rare jewelery), but I have better things to read right now, so while I thank the publisher for the ARC, this is a DNF for me.
I'm hoping that he learnt his lesson about the qualities of people worth your time (not to mention the obvious value of rare jewelery), but I have better things to read right now, so while I thank the publisher for the ARC, this is a DNF for me.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews