Dr Boogaloo and The Girl Who Lost Her Laughter

by Lisa Nicol

Dr Boogaloo was no ordinary doctor. Not at all like the one you might visit if you had a sore tummy. No, Dr Boogaloo was a very different type of doctor. He treated folks who suffered from rather unusual complaints. And how did he treat them? Why, with the most powerful medicine known to mankind . . . Music! Blue was no ordinary girl. For starters, her name was Blue. But what was truly extraordinary about Blue was the fact that she hadn’t laughed for 712 days. Not a hee hee, a ho ho or even a tiny tee hee. According to Dr Boogaloo, music can cure anything. (Of course, you need the right dose of the right music. No point listening to a jive if you’re in need of some boogie-woogie, and you can’t just substitute a toot for a blow!) But no laughter was definitely a case for alarm. Can Dr Boogaloo compose a cure before Blue loses her laughter forever?

186 pages, Paperback

Published December 1, 2019

About the author

Lisa Nicol is an internationally published, award-winning writer and sometimes documentary-maker. Her feature 'Wide Open Sky' about a children’s choir won the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the Sydney Film Festival and is now streaming on Netflix and SBS OnDemand. Her charming and funny novel Dr Boogaloo and The Girl Who Lost Her Laughter was a 2018 CBCA Notable, Shenzhen Reading Month, Top Ten Children's Books of the Year 2021 and is currently being adapted for the screen as a musical. Her 2019 middle grade novel Vincent and The Grandest Hotel on Earth has drawn comparisons to Roald Dahl and Kate DiCamillo and been described as a modern classic. Her third novel, The What on Earth Institute of Wonder was shortlisted for Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Award 2022. Lisa lives with two out of her three children and a dusty old dog who smells worse than an elephant fart.

Reviews

[Alyson Buxey · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 from 9yo
4.9 from 11yo
There was just a tiny bit more they wanted from the HEA

[Debra Tidball · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a warm-hearted mid grade read with shades of Roald Dahl absurdism. Thoroughly enjoyable.

[Brydie Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reminded me so much of Roald Dahl and Matilda. Loved the chapter on 'inapropriate humour'. Wonderful middle grade novel, Lisa. Beautiful, funny, charming!

[Stephanie Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blue has a unique condition, she can't laugh. Her absent father and self-absorbed mother can't figure out what to do with her. Her friends no longer want to play with her. And Blue herself is starting to believe she will never laugh again. Enter the charismatic Dr. Boogaloo and his music-loving, boho wife Bessie. Through the magic of music, Blue find her laughter and the family she's never had.

Dr. Boogaloo and The Girl Who Lost Her Laughter is at once a hilarious and heartfelt middle grade novel that entrances the reader. It's also an ode to music and an encyclopedia of musical instruments. With vibrant use of language and perfect pacing, Lisa Nicol brings young readers into the fantastical world of Dr. Boogaloo's School of Musical Cures -- think bikes that soar, cinemas with grass on the floor and whales that sing the blues. It's like nothing you've read before.

I so enjoyed this book that I have since sent a copy to every young person I know. I read it to my six year old who still walks around the house shaking his 'mabungo'. It's simply an excellent story that will bring you to tears both from humor and from sadness. Written for middle graders, enjoyable by anyone.

[Anna Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun story about friendship, music and individuality. Some good discussion points for book groups about the power of music, overcoming challenges and individuality. The characters are all worthy of discussion as well - Blue, who has lost her laughter; her dipsy and somewhat neglectful mother; the Taylor family next door; and of course, Dr Boogaloo and Bessie. It took me a while to get into this novel, but once into the quirky adventure, I couldn't get enough. I'm keen to hear what the middle primary students think of this one.

[Sharlene Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet story of music therapy in a far from normal world of bizarre syndromes. I wonder if the final cure would have worked without the pre-cure melodies and methods being tried first. Lovely ending :)

[Eva Rado · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent

[Nicola · Rating 3 out of 5]

A super fun read! Great to put a smile on your dial :)

[Lisa Thorne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this with my class and they loved it.