Masher

Freddie is twelve years old and loves creating, but when a school Papier-Mache project goes awry it leads to more questions than answers and a Papier-Mache puppet who eats spaghetti from his backpack! The story of Masher moves quickly, and the twists and turns will have readers guessing, it made it a read that I found hard to put down. Freddie has an authentic voice (and he’s funny!) I think young readers will relate easily to him - “Why are parents so obsessed with cleanliness?”.

As I was nearing the end of the story, I was hoping there might be instructions on how to make my very own Masher, and I wasn’t disappointed. Clear instructions, along with helpful illustrations make for a perfect follow-up class project after reading the book aloud, just like Mrs Collins sets for the year 8 Enrichment class.

Masher is a story for anyone who loves humour, mystery, perfect to engage reluctant readers and Masher serves as a warning to crafty kids – be careful what you create!

Title: Masher

Author/Illustrator: Fifi Colston

Publisher: Penguin Random House

ISBN: 978-0-14-377568-3

RRP: $19

Format: Paperback

Publication: 2022

Ages: 8+

Themes: Friendship

Any advisory warnings: No

Would this book work as a read aloud? Yes

Reviewer: Louana McCormack, Librarian, Opaheke School, Auckland

How are you recommending this book? Highly recommended

Opening sentence: One morning near the end of term, while I helpfully tidied leftover card scraps into usable piles, Mrs Collins made an announcement to our year 8 Enrichment class.

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