Henry Khoo has a plan to prove his independence. His mother, grandma and older sister are always on his case, but he’s embarking on a solo journey to visit his dad in Singapore. He has another secret, too: Henry feels excluded from his peers and has been publishing silly, unkind online comics about people at his school under the moniker ‘Fly on the Wall’.

The story is presented to us as Henry’s top-secret notebook. It’s told through oddball musings and diary-style entries, comics and diagrams. There’s a little bit of poetry, a recipe and snippets of different languages. It’s such a fun approach, and there are a lot of sweet and funny moments in this book.

Travelling gives Henry an opportunity to reflect on his behaviour, to make new friends and learn how to be honest with himself and others. Remy Lai’s first book, Pie in the Sky, was shortlisted for The Readings Children’s Book Prize earlier this year and it’s great to have a follow up so soon! For readers aged 9+.

Kim Gruschow is the children’s book buyer at Readings St Kilda.