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Jim Reaper #2
Saving Granny Maggot
Another fast and fun adventure about life, death and all the hilarity in between . . .
Jim is getting to grips with his father's rather unusual job at the Dead End Office and is keeping the truth secret as a promise to Dad. But when Jim sees that Will's grandma is next on the list of Death Dates, he springs into action. Even though Granny Maggot is smelly, mean-spirited and VERY unfriendly, his best friend Will adores her. Jim has to do something!
If the boys can keep Will's granny safe until midnight, can they save her life?
Jim is getting to grips with his father's rather unusual job at the Dead End Office and is keeping the truth secret as a promise to Dad. But when Jim sees that Will's grandma is next on the list of Death Dates, he springs into action. Even though Granny Maggot is smelly, mean-spirited and VERY unfriendly, his best friend Will adores her. Jim has to do something!
If the boys can keep Will's granny safe until midnight, can they save her life?
208 pages, Paperback
Published July 14, 2016
1 person is currently reading
115 people want to read
About the author
Rachel Delahaye
36 books17 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 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 19, 2018
This book is so great and made me laugh so much!👍🏻🤪😂🙂😊
April 5, 2021
They are deceptive the books in this series. They seem to be just a funny story about a boy and his dad but they are quite good at tackling many issues in a very articulate way: neurodiversity, family relationships and, of course, death. Making death the father figure is a clever way to introduce a child's many questions about death and dying and then target some interesting answers at that child's level.
August 8, 2019
This book is very fun and made me ask myself questions I never thought I would ask. Very rowdy and has lots of twists.
June 8, 2021
It was so funny until the end when it got so sad. Granny Maggot died. R.I.P. But the story was great
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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
April 10, 2024
1.5 ⭐
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews