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Death Defying Pepper Roux
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Review
There are other authors writing for all ages who are good, and a few who are very good indeed. But on form Geraldine McCaughrean is in a class of her own, and this latest story is as fine as anything she has written yet. (Nicholas Tucker )
I couldn't put it down. It's wise and odd and funny, and the plot kept zipping off in unexpected directions right to the end . . . everybody should read Geraldine McCaughrean. It deserves every success. (Philip Reeve )
I was gripped from page one by the quite literally death defying adventures of the ill omened but hugely resourceful Pepper Roux. A hero for us all to emulate! As ever Geraldine totally engages you in the reality of the world she creates with real humour and wit. A treat to savour! (Joy Court, Chair of Youth Librarian's Group )
I couldn't put it down. It's wise and odd and funny, and the plot kept zipping off in unexpected directions right to the end . . . everybody should read Geraldine McCaughrean. It deserves every success. (Philip Reeve )
I was gripped from page one by the quite literally death defying adventures of the ill omened but hugely resourceful Pepper Roux. A hero for us all to emulate! As ever Geraldine totally engages you in the reality of the world she creates with real humour and wit. A treat to savour! (Joy Court, Chair of Youth Librarian's Group )
Review
There are other authors writing for all ages who are good, and a few who are very good indeed. But on form Geraldine McCaughrean is in a class of her own, and this latest story is as fine as anything she has written yet. Nicholas Tucker I couldn't put it down. It's wise and odd and funny, and the plot kept zipping off in unexpected directions right to the end ... everybody should read Geraldine McCaughrean. It deserves every success. Philip Reeve I was gripped from page one by the quite literally death defying adventures of the ill omened but hugely resourceful Pepper Roux. A hero for us all to emulate! As ever Geraldine totally engages you in the reality of the world she creates with real humour and wit. A treat to savour! Joy Court, Chair of Youth Librarian's Group
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
On the day of his birth, Aunt Mireille announced that Pepper would die by his fourteenth birthday, le pauvre. Pepper lives his life with his mother and aunt, under strict control and in the knowledge that his life would be very short and he should prepare rigorously to meet God and all his saints and angels. The book begins on the morning of Pepper's fourteenth birthday and Pepper has decided that he does not want to die just yet. To escape the avenging angels and St Constance, who he is certain is coming to take him to the Lord, Pepper decides to step out of the life of Pepper Roux and take on another identity. He becomes Captain Roux the captain of a coffin ship doomed to sink, Konstantin Kruppe, a delivery boy for the French Telegraph Service and Pepper Papier, a journalist who wants to write only good news. Finally, his lives begin to crash around him, the saints eventually catch up and its up to Pepper and his friends to find a way to live past his fourteenth year.
Each life that Pepper takes on is a fascinating episode in the life of this loveable little boy. McCaughrean has written her characters extremely well and the supporting cast of quirky, unusual and yet believable characters move this book up from being a good read to a great classic. Every character, regardless of how small their role may be, is lifted from the page with turns of phrase and mannerisms that illuminate the story. Pepper himself is a wonderful character, beginning the story as a naive, downtrodden but polite little boy and growing over the course of the book into a capable, kind hearted and warm young man who is loved by all despite his twisted childhood. You naturally warm to Pepper and without realising it the reader soon becomes attached.
The Death Defying Pepper Roux is a delicate gem of a story, that rare book that should be savoured and enjoyed slowly rather than devoured in one sitting. That isn't to say the story isn't gripping; quite the opposite in fact, but I felt that I wanted to prolong this fantastic story by a superb writer.
Each life that Pepper takes on is a fascinating episode in the life of this loveable little boy. McCaughrean has written her characters extremely well and the supporting cast of quirky, unusual and yet believable characters move this book up from being a good read to a great classic. Every character, regardless of how small their role may be, is lifted from the page with turns of phrase and mannerisms that illuminate the story. Pepper himself is a wonderful character, beginning the story as a naive, downtrodden but polite little boy and growing over the course of the book into a capable, kind hearted and warm young man who is loved by all despite his twisted childhood. You naturally warm to Pepper and without realising it the reader soon becomes attached.
The Death Defying Pepper Roux is a delicate gem of a story, that rare book that should be savoured and enjoyed slowly rather than devoured in one sitting. That isn't to say the story isn't gripping; quite the opposite in fact, but I felt that I wanted to prolong this fantastic story by a superb writer.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Someone once told me that they liked Geraldine McCaughrean because she never writes the same book twice. I think this is true. I also think only McCaughrean could have come up with The Death Defying Pepper Roux. The humour, the pace, the scene changes, the characters all make this a fantastic, entertaining read for boys, girls and adults alike. It ticks every box and then some. I especially loved The Duchess and was sorry when his part in the story seemed to end but so delighted when he reappeared later. A cracking read. Watch this space for the Carnegie nominations next year.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
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Wow! This is a ride which needs a seat belt if, like me, you left the 'young reader' stage behind many years ago. `The Death Defying Pepper Roux' succeeds in defying reality in such a winsome way that I got happily lost in its Milligan-Secombe-Sellers-like world of wackiness, where no one is what he or she appears to be, and nothing is predictable.
`On the morning of his fourteenth birthday, Pepper had been awake for fully two minutes before realizing it was the day he must die.' So begins the first paragraph of this kaleidoscopic adventure by the brilliant Geraldine McCaughrean. Convinced of the macabre prophecy relayed to him by his saint-obsessed Aunt Mireille, the lad Pepper is both bewildered and disappointed when it fails, sparking his string of wild adventures across an ocean and through France and even a stint in the Foreign Legion, in company with some of the most memorable characters you'll encounter anywhere. But this is no childish story. The level of vocabulary, frankness of expression, depth of inner reflection, and the occasional hints at the moral ambiguities of some his associates put this story into a category which will probably suit those closer to the age of Pepper himself. This is not Richmal Crompton.
In `The Death Defying Pepper Roux' the author has rendered her vibrant imagination into this unique tale, set in a vaguely familiar and unidentified Present, yet so oddly substantial that you might believe it could all really have happened and that Pepper Roux lives on, daily defying death.
`On the morning of his fourteenth birthday, Pepper had been awake for fully two minutes before realizing it was the day he must die.' So begins the first paragraph of this kaleidoscopic adventure by the brilliant Geraldine McCaughrean. Convinced of the macabre prophecy relayed to him by his saint-obsessed Aunt Mireille, the lad Pepper is both bewildered and disappointed when it fails, sparking his string of wild adventures across an ocean and through France and even a stint in the Foreign Legion, in company with some of the most memorable characters you'll encounter anywhere. But this is no childish story. The level of vocabulary, frankness of expression, depth of inner reflection, and the occasional hints at the moral ambiguities of some his associates put this story into a category which will probably suit those closer to the age of Pepper himself. This is not Richmal Crompton.
In `The Death Defying Pepper Roux' the author has rendered her vibrant imagination into this unique tale, set in a vaguely familiar and unidentified Present, yet so oddly substantial that you might believe it could all really have happened and that Pepper Roux lives on, daily defying death.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Excellent
I'm 12. I started reading this book and couldnt put it down. Although it is unrealistic, which popular children's books aren't? A well deservedd 9.5/10
Published 12 months ago by Johnny
Astounding, wonderful
I love this book. I have read and admired McCaughrean's books before, but I have to say this one is the pinnacle. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Outrageous Grace
An interesting rather than a gripping dark tale........but my teenage...
The book starts off: "On the morning of his fourteenth birthday, Pepper had been awake for fully two minutes before realizing it was the day he must die. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Keith Joseph
Whimsical and charming tale
This is not your typical children's story, and I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading it. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Fiona Mccaw
Interesting Idea, Well Executed
This is one of those books written for children but with much to entertain adults too. By children I'm meaning teenagers really as its many layers are likely to be missed by... Read more
Published 22 months ago by MJ King
Wow!
Oh wow! What a fabulous story!! A boy who is told he will die before his next birthday, then embarks on many wonderful and incredible adventures, meeting strange and colourful... Read more
Published on 27 May 2010 by Gemmeg
I don't think I've read the same book as everyone else
I can't believe the amount of good reviews this book is getting. It's weird, unbelievable, annoying and I gave up after 78 pages I was so bored. Read more
Published on 4 May 2010 by Book chatter
Lovely book for teens and adults.
'The Death Defying Pepper Roux' a pretty awful pun, but a highly imaginative, surreal tale about a boy who seemingly cheats death, and is inspired to live his life to the full as a... Read more
Published on 23 Mar 2010 by Danny
Easy read, for adults not children?!
Took this on holiday, it was an ok, easy adventure read that is quite fast paced and was amusing. I am unsure whether the children its aimed at will grasp some of the themes of... Read more
Published on 21 Feb 2010 by Dr Nick
An amusing and entertaining story
The Death Defying Pepper Roux This story begins: "On the morning of his 14th birthday, Pepper had been awake for fully two minutes before realising it was the day he must die. Read more
Published on 28 Jan 2010 by Michele Fry
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