The Deadly Dinner Lady

My 8 year old and I have been reading all the Rory Branagan books, we can't wait for the next books to come out (we have pre ordered). Fantastic to read and snuggle up with each other.

Good book

It’s one week after RORY BRANAGAN: DETECTIVE where 10-year-old Rory Branagan and Cassidy “Cat” Callahan solved the Big Cash Robbery.Mr Bolton (the headmaster of Rory and Cat’s school) announces that there will be a talent competition where staff and students alike can show off their singing, dancing and other talents to the school. Mr Bolton has prepared a rap about the correct use of apostrophes, Cat has planned an acrobatics routine. Rory’s favourite teaser - Mr Meeton - is singing a song and playing guitar but the unexpected star is Ms Rhodes (the Head Dinner Lady who everyone calls the Toad) who does a comedy routine aping the other contestants. The kids love the Toad’s act but someone clearly doesn’t because before the winner can be announced, she is brutally attacked and Rory is pretty sure she’s dead!It isn’t long before the police are at the school but Rory knows that this is a case for he and Cat and he is determined to find out who did it to bring them to justice!The second in Andrew Clover’s comedy mystery series for children aged 9+ is more substantial than the first book and gives a clearer indication of what happened to Rory’s dad (promising heart ache ahead). Ralph Lazar’s illustrations work brilliantly to bring the story to life, there is a poo joke that genuinely made me giggle and while I wanted a little more development for Cat I did enjoy discovering that she isn’t as unflappable as she seems.One of my criticisms of the first book was the the story was very thin. This book addresses that issue by having a central mystery that drives the action and although that mystery is a little bare bones, I still enjoyed how Rory and Cat go about their investigations and try to avoid the police who are keen for them to stay out of it. There’s more character development here for both Rory and Cat - in Rory’s case we learn how he hero-worships Mr Meeton a little while Cat is under pressure from her dad to give up investigating to stay safe - and Corner Boy has a bigger role as well, which I appreciated. The book also indicates what’s happened to Rory’s dad, which I suspect will be developed further in book 3 and which maybe promises some heartache for Rory ahead.The humour in this book works very well. There’s a genuinely funny poo joke that made me giggle far more than a woman my age should be giggling for, Mr Bolton’s dedication to the proper use of apostrophes was a cause I could get behind (and his rap is pretty amusing) while Ralph Lazar’s illustrations work really well to complement both the story and Rory’s flights of fantasy (my favourites being the ones where we see Rory’s trampoline moves).All in all, I thought this was an enjoyable, fun read that kids will adore and I very much look forward to reading Rory and Cat’s next adventure.

This book is a breeze to read because of the fun art along the way, and the story which is full of humour.This is the fourth Rory Branagan book but no prior knowledge of the others is required and the story is standalone (although the mystery of Rory's dad, unresolved from other books, makes a brief appearance). This story starts with Rory going to school. "I am actually in a good mood (even though I'm going to school)."At school there is a talent competition which the teachers and pupils take part in. Mr Bolton has a super funny rap about grammar and how it is important to get the apostrophe. Ms Rhodes - the deadly dinner lady - steals the show but then something bad happens. There is a scream, Rory's detective instincts kick in and he rushes towards where it came from. There he finds Ms Rhodes "lying on the ground. She has a rectangular bruise on her head... I'm pretty sure she's dead." Rory Branagan Detective has a mystery to solve.Everyone is a suspect, and the story does a good job of pitting the characters against each other here putting everyone in the frame. Initially Rory suspects Mr Bolton may have done it over grammar - but Rory, and best friend and accomplice, Cassidy Callaghan solve the mystery and find out who is the real culprit.This book was a work of art from start to finish with a funny story that made me laugh a lot and is suitable for children and adults alike.

This is a review written by my eleven-year-old son:I think the demon dinner ladies book is very good, as it is very funny and I would describe it as a comedy genre. In my opinion, the book is mostly based on trying also to make the reader feel in the character’s shoes sometimes. This is my personal opinion and there were no parts where I didn’t enjoy it. The book's plot concerns a boy who has a suspicion about one of the dinner ladies, so when he finds a teacher passed out on the floor while the school has their talent show, he and his friends go on an Adventure to see who the real suspect was.A very readable book,