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Jim Reaper #1
Son of Grim
You might have heard how the universe began with the Big Bang?
Well, the universe as Jim Wimple knows it is about to end. With a Bazoom!
Not only are Bazoom! scooters super fast and deadly cool, but fierce (and swoonsome) older girl Fiona has just started riding hers to and from school, and possibly out of Jim's life forever. Disaster! Jim Wimple needs a Bazoom!, and fast. So he and his best friend Will devise a clever scheme, which involves having to sneak into Dad's workplace. But when the boys break into the Mallet & Mullet 'accountancy' office they find that the walls are lined with ancient portraits, the staff are highly secretive, and Jim's dad's office bears the sign 'G Reaper'. . . And then all hell really breaks loose.
What would YOU do if you thought your dad might be . . . Death?!
Illustrated with cool art by HAMISH artist Jamie Littler.
Well, the universe as Jim Wimple knows it is about to end. With a Bazoom!
Not only are Bazoom! scooters super fast and deadly cool, but fierce (and swoonsome) older girl Fiona has just started riding hers to and from school, and possibly out of Jim's life forever. Disaster! Jim Wimple needs a Bazoom!, and fast. So he and his best friend Will devise a clever scheme, which involves having to sneak into Dad's workplace. But when the boys break into the Mallet & Mullet 'accountancy' office they find that the walls are lined with ancient portraits, the staff are highly secretive, and Jim's dad's office bears the sign 'G Reaper'. . . And then all hell really breaks loose.
What would YOU do if you thought your dad might be . . . Death?!
Illustrated with cool art by HAMISH artist Jamie Littler.
- GenresChildrens
256 pages, Paperback
Published February 4, 2016
4 people are currently reading
91 people want to read
About the author
Rachel Delahaye
35 books16 followersRachel Delahaye writes children's fiction. Her teen sci-fi, Electric Life was longlisted for the 2024 Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing, and her upper middle-grade eco thriller Day of the Whale was nominated for the 2023 Yoto Carnegie.
Her catalogue includes a middle-grade series called Mort the Meek - a dark and gruesome comedy, described as 'Pratchetesque' by The Guardian, an animal adventure series published by Little Tiger, and a three-book comedy series, Jim Reaper, published with Piccadilly Press.
There are more middle grade and teen projects on the horizon. Rachel also writes fiction and poetry for accelerated reading schemes and Level Readers to help children gain reading confidence.
Her catalogue includes a middle-grade series called Mort the Meek - a dark and gruesome comedy, described as 'Pratchetesque' by The Guardian, an animal adventure series published by Little Tiger, and a three-book comedy series, Jim Reaper, published with Piccadilly Press.
There are more middle grade and teen projects on the horizon. Rachel also writes fiction and poetry for accelerated reading schemes and Level Readers to help children gain reading confidence.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
February 4, 2017
Jim Wimple and Will Maggot are best mates. They do everything together, including school, avoiding the town bully Jeremy Flowers and also dreaming of owning the latest scooter called a Bazoom.
Will's older sister has just bought herself one, making Jim's secret crush on her even bigger. When there are only a handful of the limited edition Bazooms left, Jim and Will hatch a plan to convince Jim's dad to buy one. But as they launch Operation Bazoom, it becomes Operation Dad. Some things about his job and his behaviour just don't add up. He's supposed to be an accountant but is up at all times of the night and his office is too strange for words. And who on earth is G Reaper?
The first in a series, Jim Reaper - Son of Grim starts off as a simple tale about a crush on a girl and a burning desire to have the latest gadget. But in the pursuit of these, the story takes an intriguing turn for the weird..... Great story. Looking forward to the next in the series - Saving Granny Maggot.
Will's older sister has just bought herself one, making Jim's secret crush on her even bigger. When there are only a handful of the limited edition Bazooms left, Jim and Will hatch a plan to convince Jim's dad to buy one. But as they launch Operation Bazoom, it becomes Operation Dad. Some things about his job and his behaviour just don't add up. He's supposed to be an accountant but is up at all times of the night and his office is too strange for words. And who on earth is G Reaper?
The first in a series, Jim Reaper - Son of Grim starts off as a simple tale about a crush on a girl and a burning desire to have the latest gadget. But in the pursuit of these, the story takes an intriguing turn for the weird..... Great story. Looking forward to the next in the series - Saving Granny Maggot.
December 10, 2023
I enjoyed this book it was short and sweet but a shame it took literally the entire book to get to the point. I understand that this is a series but more could have come from this if the plot (already made known by the title) would have got to the point earlier so we could begin the real adventures. I get it’s a technique to expand the story over several books, but still it did just feel disappointing to get to the main story and have it rushed in the final pages. This was a silly read before bed and I will look out for the other books in the series.
July 11, 2017
This was laugh-out-loud funny! I absolutely adored the concept, thought the mystery was really well done and this was the perfect set up for the next book (which I am really excited to read). If you like funny middle grade, this one's for you!
May 20, 2024
Jim Reaper: Son of Grim by Rachel Delahaye, illustrated by Jamie Littler, is a captivating and humorous children's novel. The story follows Jim Wimple, who, in a bid to impress a girl, sneaks into his dad’s workplace with his best friend Will. There, they uncover a startling secret: Jim’s dad might actually be Death. This discovery leads to a series of chaotic and entertaining adventures. The book’s engaging narrative and delightful illustrations make it a fun read, blending humor, adventure, and the supernatural in a way that’s sure to charm young readers.
January 10, 2020
This is a brilliant read for MG children who like dark adventure but with a light twist, so it's not too heavy. Something is off in Jim's life - his Dad's office is weird and creepy, nothing like an accountancy office should be - and what's with all the long black robes?
A perfect entry into horror for readers 7+ and a wonderful and popular addition to our school library!
A perfect entry into horror for readers 7+ and a wonderful and popular addition to our school library!
November 12, 2018
It was great, secretive and interesting.
March 29, 2021
To be honest, I wasn't holding out much hope for this but it turned out to be very clever and funny with a good main character and interesting supporting cast.
September 5, 2022
I don't know about you, but with all this virus and quarantine and lock down news, I've been finding it really hard to settle down and read anything for very long. Hard to settle to anything for long really. So I decided that what I really needed was something fun, something snappy, something not particularly long that I wouldn't get bogged down in, and as luck would have it I have this trilogy just sitting there waiting for me. A well stocked bookshelf will never let you down!
And do you know what? They were just what i needed! I've read one a day for the last three days and I have absolutely loved them!
Let's start with the characters, shall we? Jim is our main character, and he has a lot going on in his head. Jim is definitely something of a worrier, but he's also the kind of boy who worries, but who then makes plans and puts them into action. I really liked that balance. He's not super confident, but he's definitely brave and rather sweet. Then there's his sister Hettie. I love Hettie, absolutely adore her. (Please give Hettie her own series!) She's so smart, manipulative and wicked, but oh so cute at the same time. A wonderful foil to her rather sweet, panicky brother. Hettie takes care of things, and it's probably best not to ask how!
Then we have the parents. Yes, actual parents in a MG book! Remarkable. Actually what we see in these books is two different families, Jim's and his friend Will's, where the parents are present and involved, and that's really nice to see. Will's parents are caring and funny and have a lot of depth to them. I'm not sure I'd fancy trying his mum's cooking though.
His best friend Will and his family are also important characters. You so rarely see neuro-divergent characters in children's books, so it's great to see Will and his special brain, and also seeing how much Jim appreciates and understands it, even when he doesn't quite understand why Will thinks the way he does. Fiona, Will's big sister, is a scarily accurate portrait of studied teenage indifference mixed with both sweetness and violence and the complex way her relationship with the boys varies is really well done.
Then each book has its own supporting cast, and there are some fantastic moments and characteristics among them. I particularly liked the relationship between Granny Maggot and Kevin, the bus driver who wants to be a rally driver.
The books are illustrated throughout by Jamie Littler, who also illustrated Em Lynas' Witch School trilogy (another favourite of mine) and has written and illustrated Frostheart. His style suits the characters and the feel of the book perfectly, and his beautiful illustrations add a lot to the books.
Each book felt very different. Son of Grim (book one) is quite a mystery thriller, with Jim trying to uncover the secret his dad is keeping, complete with spy missions. The Glove of Death (book three) is quite a madcap adventure, when a deadly glove goes missing leaving a string of bodies.
Saving Granny Maggot (book two) is really quite special. What feels like it's going to be another light hearted, fun adventure actually has a rather serious and emotional core. It's a beautiful story about the importance of random acts of kindness, It's about caring for elderly relatives and embracing them while you can. It's about what you can do if you just take one day and go for it, Ferris Bueller style. It's about living life and accepting death. It's also an awful lot of fun and incredibly amusing. It's a tricky balance, but Saving Granny Maggot left me feeling happy, and in tears.
A funny, thoughtful trilogy with some excellent representation
And do you know what? They were just what i needed! I've read one a day for the last three days and I have absolutely loved them!
Let's start with the characters, shall we? Jim is our main character, and he has a lot going on in his head. Jim is definitely something of a worrier, but he's also the kind of boy who worries, but who then makes plans and puts them into action. I really liked that balance. He's not super confident, but he's definitely brave and rather sweet. Then there's his sister Hettie. I love Hettie, absolutely adore her. (Please give Hettie her own series!) She's so smart, manipulative and wicked, but oh so cute at the same time. A wonderful foil to her rather sweet, panicky brother. Hettie takes care of things, and it's probably best not to ask how!
Then we have the parents. Yes, actual parents in a MG book! Remarkable. Actually what we see in these books is two different families, Jim's and his friend Will's, where the parents are present and involved, and that's really nice to see. Will's parents are caring and funny and have a lot of depth to them. I'm not sure I'd fancy trying his mum's cooking though.
His best friend Will and his family are also important characters. You so rarely see neuro-divergent characters in children's books, so it's great to see Will and his special brain, and also seeing how much Jim appreciates and understands it, even when he doesn't quite understand why Will thinks the way he does. Fiona, Will's big sister, is a scarily accurate portrait of studied teenage indifference mixed with both sweetness and violence and the complex way her relationship with the boys varies is really well done.
Then each book has its own supporting cast, and there are some fantastic moments and characteristics among them. I particularly liked the relationship between Granny Maggot and Kevin, the bus driver who wants to be a rally driver.
The books are illustrated throughout by Jamie Littler, who also illustrated Em Lynas' Witch School trilogy (another favourite of mine) and has written and illustrated Frostheart. His style suits the characters and the feel of the book perfectly, and his beautiful illustrations add a lot to the books.
Each book felt very different. Son of Grim (book one) is quite a mystery thriller, with Jim trying to uncover the secret his dad is keeping, complete with spy missions. The Glove of Death (book three) is quite a madcap adventure, when a deadly glove goes missing leaving a string of bodies.
Saving Granny Maggot (book two) is really quite special. What feels like it's going to be another light hearted, fun adventure actually has a rather serious and emotional core. It's a beautiful story about the importance of random acts of kindness, It's about caring for elderly relatives and embracing them while you can. It's about what you can do if you just take one day and go for it, Ferris Bueller style. It's about living life and accepting death. It's also an awful lot of fun and incredibly amusing. It's a tricky balance, but Saving Granny Maggot left me feeling happy, and in tears.
A funny, thoughtful trilogy with some excellent representation
September 13, 2016
I was really looking forward to reading this but found it quite dull. I t took too long to find out about his dad then that was it, no details about his actual job as Grim Reaper. Maybe age-relevant kids will like it, but as an adult it was not one for me.
April 10, 2024
1.3 ⭐
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews