Born with cerebral palsy, Scooter McLay has 'hyper-creativity', meaning that his brain is full of ideas and inventions all the time, which comes in handy in the family jam-making business. As a result, McLay's jam is the best there is; however, the family have to be incredibly secretive about everything they do as their neighbour, Daffy Dodgy, who owns and runs the doughnut business next door, is desperate to get her hands on the secret of their success. Having tried in vain for years, she hasn't given up and gets the chance to fulfil her dreams when she spots a whole in a window made by an alien who has crashed into McLay's and into Scooter's life. What on Earth does the alien want and will Daffy finally learn the secret of McLay's success?
This is a wonderfully funny and imaginative book and is most definitely a world I would love to dive into and explore!
I adore Scooter as a main character: he is makes the most of his imagination and doesn't let his cerebral palsy get the better of him; however, he is a character of layers because it is clear that he is lonely. His parents need to be completely secretive about anything to do with the factory, which means that he cannot share his passion with his friends, not can he invite any of them back to his home above the factory. So when Fizzbee comes along, it seems like the perfect solution. Fizzbee is a rather cute and slightly excitable who causes chaos with her unusual reactions to jam but also clearly rather likes Scooter - they make the perfect pair! And it would be rather remiss of me not to mention Daffy Dodgy who makes a fantastic 'baddy', dressed in her velour tracksuits with 'Dodgy' displayed all over her bottom, she made me laugh right the way through the book!
Now I must mention McLay's factory: that very secretive place that nobody is allowed into. I would absolutely love to get inside there and explore; who wouldn't when there's a rollercoaster to help you get around? Not to mention Scooter's inventing room with his Hand-Bots that help him to create a world of different jams - personally, it's the Cherry Candyfloss Jam I most want to try!
With an accompaniment of fabulous illustrations by Jenny Taylor, this is a fabulous book that will make you want to eat jam (although perhaps not the sprout variety!). I have a feeling that there will be more books in the series and I can't wait to see what sticky situations Scooter gets himself into next!
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