Head Kid

by Steven Lenton

From the author of THE PARENT AGENCY comes a thrilling, funny and touching new adventure.

Genres: Middle Grade, Fiction, Fantasy, Childrens, Chapter Books, Humor

384 pages, Hardcover

First published September 6, 2018

About the author

Steven Lenton spent many a school vacation working in the family pom-pom factory. Since this somewhat fluffy start to his career he has gained a BA and MA in animation and has become a successful animator and art director in children’s television. He lives in England.

Reviews

[Connor Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a really good book!

[Mehsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

What happens when a strict head teacher gets body-swapped with the biggest prankster of the school? Find out in this hilarious, laugh-out-loud, OMG no he didn't, will someone find out?, book!

I have been trying for a few days to write a review, but for some reason it just doesn't want to come out. But today feels like a good day! So here we go. It will be a good/not so good review as I have a hard time forming a coherent review otherwise. :P

Good:
-The body-swap and how it happened. I am curious about the music box and how it came to be there, who put it there, what kind of history is behind it? Did other people get body-swapped as well? Is that why it was hidden? But there was no note or whatsoever to warn people. Mm.
-Seeing the other characters from the other Baddiel books pop by. So much fun and it makes me happy that while their stories are over they still get some spotlight time.
-The things that both of the characters did in their respective new bodies. How they just tried to continue on with their lives. I had such a laugh that Ryan just bought all the pizza he could while in Mr. Carter's body. :P
-The character growth for both of the characters. Ryan learns a bit more responsibility and kindness and understanding. Which made me smile, as he was quite the prankster in the beginning without any regard of anyone. It took him a while though. But that made it all the better when he showed that he could also be caring and kind.
-Dionna, the best friend of Ryan. She was such a sweet and wonderful character and I loved how, when she found out about Ryan and Mr. Carter tried to help them out. Though it must have been awkward as it looked like she was talking to a 40-ish old man.
-The illustrations, as always they are top-notch!
-Ryan's baby sister and her not saying the first letters of a word. She was also the one (maybe even the only one) who knew that Ryan wasn't Ryan after the body-swap. It is amazing how that sister-brother bond works.
-On that topic, how no one knew that something was up with Ryan and Mr. Carter. Come on, the biggest prankster turns stiff and model pupil in a day and the strict head teacher turns into a prankster who cancels schools just because he can.
-The ending was just fabulous and hilarious. I am happy with how things ended and I also loved that plan. *grins evilly*
-The things Ryan did when he was Head Kid/Teacher. He really made the kids dreams come true, though he must have also known that it wouldn't hold on that much longer. But he had his fun. Cake mix sounds like a lovely lunch, at least for a day or two.
-The debate, go go Dionna. That was a heartfelt speech.
-Some of Ryan's pranks. Not all of them, but I did love that putting underwear on turtles one.
-I had such a laugh when Caspar was the teacher of the day. Dang that kid needs to learn another song. :P

Not so good:
-Ryan in the beginning and at some points in the story. I just wanted to shake him for being so mean to people (the name Bummington is haha once, but after 20 times of it... not so much especially when the guy clearly asks to be called by his normal name and is clearly unhappy about it). And his pranks were really hurtful in the beginning. Really, putting butter on the floor?
-Mr. Carter wasn't always my favourite character, but I did warm up to him when we found out about things in his life.
-The drama near the end which just seemed totally unnecessary to me and just added to make the ending a bit more dramatic. I am sorry, Mr. Carter, I understand the situation, but what did you want Ryan to do then? Just ignore the message? Leave your mum all alone? Plus, hello, he is an eleven year old boy, though he may not confess to it, he does miss his mom. Come on.

And I could probably name a few more good things, like the general feeling of the book (atmosphere) it was really fun. It is truly a book to read when you need something fun and hilarious in your life. Like I do at the moment with the move happening next week and the wedding in almost 2 months.

I would recommend it and I will be eagerly waiting for the next David Baddiel's book!

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/

[Luke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book by David baddiel. Great for all ages from 6 upwards

[Lola · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good book and I especially liked the ending .

[Katy Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Baddiel 'what if'.... what would YOU DO if you were headteacher?

A body swap story between the school prankster and the new headteacher brought in to stop the school from getting closed down (by OFFHEAD). Ryan has pulled some pranks in his time, but when he somehow swaps bodies with the strict Mr Carter, it's like all his Christmases have come at once - what CAN'T he do?! Imagine: school dinners filled with sweets! Teachers having to become pupils while they take the classes instead!

But the school is about to have the inspectors visit - does he really want his school to close?

This book is a quicker read than Baddiel's others, the story takes off straightaway, with lots of pranks and silly humour (Mr Bummington for Mr Barrington, talk about "how weird it was going for a wee" as his headteacher). Saying that, the in-jokes are good if you're familiar with the other Baddiel titles - the twins from The Parent Controller attend this school. The school tortoises featured in AniMalcolm. There's even a joke about David Walliams and Baddiel's own 'Football's Coming Home' hit song:

(to be sung) "You are off the chart! Now it's time to get rid! Thirty years of school. Never seen a worse kid!"

The story goes rather as you expect, with the body swap affecting the points of view and empathy of both, with a rather stereotyped 'enemy' in the posh school (the OBE-honoured Head and snooty pupils).

There are a couple of genuinely moving moments, and the plot is entertaining enough, but I don't think this is Baddiel's strongest children's novel.

Saying that, I'm sure any child reading this will LOVE the idea of another child taking over the school. And with themes of friendship and teamwork key to it all, it's good at its heart.

Could be read solo by a competent 9 year old. Listeners will be interested at around ages 7-12.

With thanks to Netgalley for the advance e-reading copy.

[Justkeepreading · Rating 4 out of 5]

We love a good David Baddial book here. They always make the kids laugh and they also share positive lessons that the children can learn from to keep the parents or in my case auntie happy.

This is a wildly fun and funny eantertaining wish fulfilling book. That’s asks the question what would happens if the strictest head teacher swapped bodies with the naughtiest kid in the school? Believe me you really are in for a treat with this book.

Ryan ward is the naughtiest kid in Bracket wood, who is constantly in trouble for his many practical jokes and tricks. He is so naughty that the current head teacher had had enough and walks out. With school inspections looming Mr Carter the new headteacher has a big task on his hands. But had Ryan finally met his match because everyone knows that Mr Carter is the strictest man ever and even the children are scared of him.

But imagine Mr Carter’s and Ryan’s surprise when they wake up in each other’s bodies. Now Ryan is the head teacher and Mr Carter is Ryan. Is this a match made in heaven? Will Ryan learn some valuable lessons? Will the school pass it’s inspection? Or will the school go into chaos. Believe me this is a David Baddiel book you do not want to miss out on.

[Pauline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a plot that we have seen many time before - in fact the “body swap” has become quite a classic storyline. Having said that though it is still a winning plot construct on many levels. There is something very silly and appealing to kids to read about occupying someone else’s body and an adult in a child’s body and the jokes are as one would expect. David Baddiel has cemented his reputation as one of the UK’s funniest writers of children’s literature and this novel does not disappoint. There’s also a nod to some of the other Baddiel novels when characters from the Parent Controller and AniMalcolm make an appearance.

Suitable for 8+

[Grace Cox · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had been bringe watching Criminal Minds and needed a break into something that was light, funny and entertaining and this book did the job. While I am not the audience that this book is primarily aim towards, I have to say that I got a few giggles and some stomach aching laughs from, 'Head Kid'. However it is not my favorite David Baddiel book and I think some of his other books contain more charm. I would recommend this book to children aged 8 - 12 as I believe they will get the most from this book.

A reread for me this Christmas and just as much as fun as first time.

[Philippa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading this with my 9 just old son. Some laugh out loud moments!

[Millie Hodgson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like the part where the offhead people come when Ryan is the head teacher

[Rowan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional

Definitely a feel good story just another master work of literature from david baddiel 5 star, worth reading, should buy

[Jessica – Books, Books, and Japan! · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Baddiel’s books are always a hoot to read for adults and children. Head Kid is the same, taking the Freaky Friday situation of a body swap to create hilarious situations. The protagonists, in this case, are the school’s champion prankster and the new strict headteacher. The book is an easy read, and while laugh-out-loud at times, there are also lessons to be learned along the way.

[Jacqueline Marturano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved reading this with my 8 year old son!

[Gethin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book of the year!

[Evan May · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good and was very funny and the best part was where Mr Carter said a funny word😂😀

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brought out my inner child....I haven’t laughed so much in ages! Loved it!

[Nadine · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 8 year old and I read this together, and we loved it. He really looked forward to story time whilst reading this. He says he really enjoyed the story and it was fascinating to see what happened with the characters, especially as he hadn't read anything like this before. We already have another David Baddiel book lined up, fingers crossed he enjoys it as much as this one :)

[Lucy Duggan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

Admittedly, my rating might not 100% reflect the book, as I am not the age demographic it was written for, so take what criticisms I have with a pinch of salt.

I did enjoy this book, I thought the premise (although not unique (not that a story idea has to be)) was really fun and explored really well. I think it was really good to take a simple idea of a head teacher and a naughty student swapping bodies, and making the overall lesson not only that bad kids need to grow up and mature a little, but also that you don't always need to be 100% mature and boring, and that you are allowed to be childlike at times.

It was also nice to see the main character, a boy, have a best friend that was a girl. I know that in Britain (where this book is set), that it's honestly quite rare for people of opposite genders to be friends, especially at that age, most people just stick to their own gender. So that element was nice to see. And it was also nice to see how much Ryan cared for Dionna's feelings, since I know a lot of British boys like to pretend as if they don't care about anyone or anything, so I really enjoyed seeing how much Ryan cared for his friend.

Now, the main reason that the book is rated so lowly is mainly just because it is not in my age demographic. I did enjoy the book regardless, but I knew going in that it was never going to be my favourite thing in the world. As a child I would never have even thought about the point I'm about to make, but as I'm not a child, so I always found it funny when the teachers interacted with each other, as I know that's not how adults would talk to one another, but obviously it made sense to write it like that for a children's book, so that point was not taken into consideration when rating. I just thought it was funny to read. I mean, as some points I was just begging them to swear to once another, because they definitely would have in real life.

Another point I thought was quite strange, but not too out there, was when Miss Gerard was coming onto Mr Carter (but Ryan inside), basically begging him to have sex with her. I thought for a children's book that was a bit strange, but they didn't write it in those exact words, so I guess it wasn't too out there.

Okay, here's the thing I won't be lenient on, and that I thought was really weird and not necessary. When they were doing the debate against Oakcroft, and it was Toby's turn to do his speech, and he he didn't really say much of value, but the whole thing with him was that he was supposed to be dreamy and good-looking, and everyone would ignore his lack of words in favour for how pretty he was. Which is all well and fine if it's the kids, anywhere from 5 to 12-ish, swooning for him, but where I took problem was when the adult's began to be charmed by him. I mean, this is 40-ish year old people being attracted to an 11 year old, how weird is that? And it's not even as if it was necessary to the story, because Miss Malik, who was the main one to be charmed by him (and that was meant to be the whole point, that she was leaning towards Oakcraft winning because she liked Toby), then later on went against Oakcraft, saying that Toby's argument provided little value for the debate. So, there was really no need for an adult to be swooned by a child.

A good point though, after those negatives, I was happy when we learned that Mr Carter was Scottish. It's nice to see people from my own country in books.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! Obviously not my favourite book in the world, but it was an easy and enjoyable read.

[17halseyg227 · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was about a boy and headteacher she who switched bodies however it was quite boring I wouldn’t recommend this book to teenagers. The genre was mainly comedy and the ending was very disappointing.

[Charlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

good book

[Jim Hanks · Rating 4 out of 5]

What would happen if the strictest head teacher swapped bodies with the naughtiest kid in school?

Ryan Ward is the naughty kid and Mr Carter is the new strict school principal. It's a classic body swap but told by David Baddiel with great humour, and warmth. There are enough laughs to keep all readers happy and genuinely touching scenes as both man and boy miss their respective families. Also there are plenty of positive life lessons for kids to pick up without it ever getting in the way of a story well told.

[Harriet Cooper]

I loved it and you can tell. Head kid, well imagine swapping bodies. Swapping bodies with your very strict head teacher and you are the naughtiest child in your whole school. Can't even imagine that!

[Pilnas rokas grāmatām [Grēta] · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man šī grāmata patika.

[A H · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC kindly provided by Harper Collins in exchange for an honest review.

One of the good things about this book, Head Kid, is that it is a fun story about how everyone has two sides. For example, a serious side and a fun side as shown in this book. The sentence structure is quite effective to make this a good, easy, read.

I think that this book would be best suited to Years 3-5. I like the concept of this type of light-hearted, comedic book. I feel that, along with David Baddiel’s other works of children’s books, it is a quite exceptional novel.

Two notable characters were the “iBabies”, Scarlet and Stirling. These were interesting side characters. If they had to be representing a modern-day problem, it would be phones and other electronic devices because there are so many road accidents, pedestrian deaths and communication problems caused by distractions of devices.

This is a children’s book and I now read young adult books with different themes, so others who are younger would probably enjoy Head Kid more than I did. I have actually read another book by this author called ‘The Parent Agency’ when I was in primary school, and I liked it a lot. So, If I had read this book at that age (I was 9 or 10 at the time) I would probably have enjoyed it a whole lot more.

“No one is Normal except for Crazy People” By me, I think unless someone else told me that 😂

[Alyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

When a prankster kid Ryan swaps bodies with the strictest head teacher ever Mr Carter, you won't believe what happens. While Ryan is having fun and enjoying the power of being the principal, his school is at risk of closing down, so he must save it, but how?

Head Kid by David Baddiel was a pretty good book, and I enjoyed it. I liked how Baddiel has made this book relatable to this generation of children with things such as 'watching his favourite YouTubers'. I loved how it was very funny. The pranks that we read about are hilarious; putting undies on tortoises and covering the people who want to shut down the school in slime. I also liked how there were some good messages behind the story about bullying.

Although it was quite good, there were some things I didn't really like. Head Kid was a very short book, I finished it in a few hours. Also, the plot was very strange. I didn't understand how at the end of the book Ryan and Mr Carter just magically swap back into their bodies. Also, this book is for young people only, otherwise it will be boring. I recon ages 7-10.

I have read some other David Baddiel books, and I have to say that this one is one of the worst. Don't get me wrong, it was very good, but some of his other books are much better.

Special thanks to HarperCollins for giving us Head Kid.

[Prashant Kumar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read his other works, namely Parent Agency, Person Controller, Boy Who Could Do What He Liked), and liked them all. This is the best book of David Baddiel that I have read so far.

Even for a lengthy book of 400 pages, it is full of action with no dull moment in the book. The illustrations by Steven Lenton are very interesting and keeps you engaged. Loved how the book has a positive end, transforming both the main characters Ryan and Mr Carter.

5-Star Rating. Must read!

[Leo Margetts · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is all about how a young boy is the main mischief makerin abig school. Until he swaps bodies with a head teacher and how he has to be sensible to help his friends to keep the school open. My favourite bit aboout this book is how the main trouble maker is taught to be sensible by the school without a teacher. My favourite character is the girl because I felt a bit of sympathy for her because her best friend nearly sent her to the school where she was being bullied.

[KPGINNY · Rating 5 out of 5]

Afterone naughty deed Ryan's head teacher quits his job and the replacement is horrific! The new head teacher Mr Carter is all about rules and he is very boring. When Ryan did a particularly naughty deed on open day they both swapped boddies causing Mr Carter to be totally awesome and for Ryan to be really dull. But what will "Mr Carter" do when the school's OFFHEAD inspection comes? This book
is epic and I really enjoyed it.

-review written by my 9 year old

[D E X · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish one day this could happen to me. The one thing out of the millions things I would do if I became a headteacher is to kids teach lessons and teachers become students. And technology is allowed in school. That's two actually .... But I would tell you the things which would be awesome to do as a headteacher but I don't wanna waste your time.
All I'm saying is that it's a really GOOD book
Can't wait to read some more from you David
Also well done to Steven for the illustrations

[Tasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't think we finished this. This book along with many others we read when we were younger. My brother woukd get them for his bday (even though he doesn't even like reading and never reads) and mum woukd read them. I found it in my brothers room and it still had the book mark in so I don't think we finished it but we did read most of it and it was good but I'm giving it 3 stars only because I can't remember it very well