Skeleton Keys: The Night of the Nobody: 4 (Skeleton Keys, 4)

For many of my class, there is very little sense of anticipation for new reads. That is not to say that they don’t get bought books, or taken to the library to choose new reads – a great many of them do – rather that on the whole they are unaware of books that are due to be published. This, however, is one of the few exceptions to the rule, with quite a few of my readers looking forward to its appearance immensely. The Skeleton Keys series is one which has been incredibly popular with my children, and is unusual in that it appeals across the board to include those less or more confident readers, and is one not considered to be a boys’ or girls’ read, which – despite my best efforts – many of the books on my shelf seem to be.Part of this appeal is the wonderful humour contained within the books, which is accessible to those less confident readers in my class without being puerile or patronising, and part of it is the fabulous illustrations by Pete Williamson, which are the perfect match for the text. Together, these aspects have combined to make each of the books in the series a winning combination – something which is continued here in the latest instalment.Fans of the books will by now be familiar with the introduction by Keys which leads us into the story proper – one which is set in the slumberly village of Matching Trousers, home to Flynn Twist – owner of a wild imagination in which he is the hero of his own stories. Flynn has just arrived home for his tea, and comments to his gran that the odd boy who lives across the road is standing outside again – something she dismisses as unimportant. Sitting down to eat, Flynn’s meal is interrupted – not by the odd boy, but by the cries of his baby sister Nellie from her cot and putting down his knife and fork he heads to her room to tell her a story to settle her down.Opening Nellie’s door, Flynn is struck by how cold the room is and how dark – almost as if there is an extra shadow there – but on turning on the light, whatever was there has vanished. Looking out of the window, he spies the odd boy across the road still gazing at the house but he is distracted when his gran enters the room and spots a strange cat-sized creature sitting on the edge of his sister’s cot. The creature is one which has become unimagined – a figment of Flynn’s imagination turned real – and it is at this point that Keys arrives to take charge, together with his assistant Daisy, only for the children’s grandmother to inform him that his services are not required.The following morning, Flynn’s gran sends him on a quest to deliver a letter to Mr Nash who lives at the nearby windmill and it is while here that Flynn becomes aware that things are very much not what they should be with the elderly gentleman. Fortunately, Keys and Daisy soon appear to try to resolve what is going on but unfortunately, Keys himself soon falls foul of the mysterious Nobody which is intent on taking over the residents of Matching Trousers. Who has unimagined the Nobody? What part does the boy across the road have to play in what is going on? And with Keys now out of action, will Flynn be able to use his imagination to defeat the Nobody and return Matching Trousers to the slumberly village it once was?The intended audience for this series is at that age where imaginations are not only allowed to run riot, but are often actively encouraged with characters such as the Tooth Fairy and Father Christmas. Although we don’t tend to see imaginary friends in school, at least not in Key Stage 2, I remember my brother having one as a boy and for quite some time he was almost part of the family. The genius of this series is the presentation of imaginary characters as being real, something that many children will buy into, and which will provide reassurance that they are perfectly normal.It would be hard for me to review this book without talking about the freakish farts that are referred to in the blurb, and which are dotted throughout the story. I’m sure I’ve said before that I really thought there would be a point in my life where I would grow out of laughing at this sort of thing, in the same way that I’ve grown out of a great many things, and yet it still hasn’t happened. I know that for some adults, whether they are in school or at home, the word fart seems to give them palpitations and they will not use it in front of young ears but I have never had such issues. Children revel in jokes about bodily functions and a well-timed trouser cough in any lesson – from the children, not from me, I hasten to add – can bring about total mayhem in my experience. Here, the breaking of wind is integral to the plot and is unlikely to offend anyone, other than those few straight-laced individuals for whom this f-word is too much to tolerate, and younger readers will delight in it.One of the many joys of this series is that you do not need to read it in order, and this latest title will again work as a standalone one. If – like my class and me – you are a fan, you will be delighted that Keys’s sidekick Daisy is as delightfully horrid as she ever was and the story bears all of the trademark exclamations and wordplay that feature throughout, as well as the wonderful illustrations I mentioned earlier – although you may be put off carrots for life by one of them. With Book 5, The Wild Imaginings of Stanley Strange, to look forward to at the end of September, the series shows no signs yet of running out of steam – something which I for one am delighted about.As always, huge, huge thanks go to publisher Little Tiger for my review copy read ahead of publication on May 13th. A fantabulant 5 out of 5 stars.

I bought this for my 8 year old son who is a reluctant reader - he loved this book.I bought the other ones in the Skeleton Key series and they were also a hit! I recommend it.