Review for The Incredible Record Smashers

Review for The Incredible Record Smashers

The Incredible Record Smashers, Jenny Pearson, Erica Salcedo, Red, Dancing, Mental Health, Depression, Aunt, Friendship, Children's Books, Illustrations, RecordsA superfun, though at times a bit sad, book about records, friendship, and more!

What to do when your mom isn’t happy and you want to make her happy? Well first you find a photograph of her looking happy with some popular singer.. then you make a plan. This plan includes lots of funny (and painful) records to be smashed so you can get on the show. Yep, a very elaborate plan and I just had such a laugh at how Lucy went fully for it. Finding out what worked in regards to records (no walls or clothespins (that part was just so OUCH)) and reading all about records. She tries all sorts of things and I found myself rooting for her! Hoping she would find something that worked for her.  I loved that the author added various fun records both in the story but also at the beginning of the chapter. She must have had so much fun digging into a Guinness Records book.

I love seeing Sandesh and Lucy get closer. They were pretty awkward in the beginning and there are some bumps in the road as Lucy has her ideas and those don’t really mesh with Sandesh, but in the end they are really wonderful friends and I love how Sandesh was there for Lucy.

There is also a portion about mental health and we see how Lucy tries to wrap her mind around the fact her mom has depression and mental health issues. She feels responsible and also at times angry at her mother for being the way she is. For sleeping all the time. For neglecting her. For making her worry. All very valid, but I was also definitely happy that as the story goes on we see that Lucy is slowly understanding more about her mom, about the problems. It wasn’t easy at times to read as we see how it affects everyone. We see tons of tears and worries.

However.. the whole side story about that phone and the strange messages? I just wasn’t a fan of that as it often didn’t feel like it fitted with the story at all.  Later on, near the end of the book, it did connect with the story and then I started liking it more.

The ending made me smile, it was chaotic but so fun and while it was also a bit over the top I did feel it fitted with the book. I definitely hadn’t expected that character to do that, I guess that was what they were practising in those hours. XD I am happy that Lucy decided to do all that and that she got her mom and her aunt along with her!

I loved the illustrations, Erica Salcedo has a wonderful and fun style! The illustrations made the book come to life even more.

All in all, a book I really enjoyed and I love seeing Lucy grown up as the story continues. See records being tried. Read about records. Recommended!

Star rating, 4 stars

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