Viva Brighton Issue #66 August 2018

KIDS
.............................
A kid in my class
Which one are you?
It’s time for adventures. I bet
that’s what the kids of Brighton
are thinking, never mind their
parents and teachers. But what
about when they come back to
school next month? What then?
Rachel Rooney has it covered. It
can take a while getting used to
being back, especially if you’re
just starting or going up to Big
School. This is where her new
book comes in handy. Her latest
collection of poems reminds us
all of who goes to make up a
class. There’s even ‘Tips for the New Boy’: ‘Each
summer, one classmate is kept back for a whole
year. It’s usually the teacher’s favourite pupil.’
God forbid!
Besides the leg-pullers, there’s ‘Fidget’: ‘Seat
shifter. Page scribbler/Lip nibbler. Thought
drifter’, ‘Tough Kid’, ‘Twins’, and – very
Brighton – ‘Drama Queen Award’. For Rooney
the class is not a place where
a random bunch of strangers
knock about, though – it’s a little
community, diverse, various,
accommodating the quirks that
make kids who they are.
With wit, humour, and Chris
Riddell’s brilliant illustrations,
this is a book for us all, children,
parents, teachers, and those
who just like old-fashioned
quality books. It’s the haunting
‘Friendship Bench’ that stays with
me: ‘There’s a kid in our class
– her name’s not called at register. / It’s carved
into brass and nailed to the bench we bought
her. / My fingertips trace that absent name. In
Memory… / I can picture her face. Perhaps she
still remembers me?’
John O’Donoghue
A Kid In My Class, Rachel Rooney, illustrations by
Chris Riddell, Otter-Barry Books, £10.99
Illustrations © Chris Riddell
....59....