**MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS**
With another round of hilarious and relatable childhood stories, self-published Malaysian authour Cheeming Boey is back with ‘When I Was Kid 3’. This time around, Boey’s younger sister takes centre stage as he narrates growing up with his younger sister using the stick-figure drawings he is well-known for.
The main character is Boey’s younger self, while his family members and childhood friends make up the supporting characters. It takes guts to confess all the wrongdoings you did as a young kid, and Boey definitely has some. It is difficult to get angry with Boey’s younger self because every mistake he makes is what you expect of little kids, and you probably did the same when you were young as well – so you just laugh it off as you read about the antics that he got himself into.
Many of the stories made me laugh out loud, because I recognised Boey’s childhood experiences in myself. In one of the stories titled ‘Banana fritters’, the authour talks about enjoying the little crispy bits of fried batter that you find in the bottom of every bag of pisang goreng – and how he felt angry when it was turned into an item for profit.
In another story, aptly titled ‘Nobody’, Boey talks about the struggle he had when it came to furthering his studies. With parents that had not furthered their education, and being an average student, Boey felt alone and lost in taking the next step because he had nobody to lean on. The overwhelming feeling of despair is easily felt, because the pages are void of the usual comical drawings and instead merely focuses on words.
‘When I Was a Kid 3’ is an easy read for the short commute to work, or during the short breaks you get when a teacher leaves class. It’s a great read for those of us who need to be reminded of how simple and easy life was as a young kid, for those who need a good laugh, and for those who are looking for a way to introduce simple aspects of Malaysian culture to a non-Malaysian friend.
Rating: 5/5 stars