Review: The Magnificent Hercules Quick

Hercules Quick lives with his Aunt Alligator and his pet tadpole, Sylvie. They live on the middle floor of a big red house, with the Elk family above them and Professor Calamari below. Queen Claude lives in the cellar and the turtle brothers, Mike and Herbert, live on the roof.

It’s a wild and wonderful place to live, and Hercules loves it. But… he really wishes he had enough money to buy a marvellous box of magic tricks from the shops.

So, Hercules comes up with a plan. He’ll do odd jobs for whoever is in need to save up to buy the magic tricks. But the plan is easier said than done, because Hercules’ neighbours have some strange requests when it comes to jobs they need done for them.

He answers phone calls for Professor Calamari, cleans the cellar for Queen Maude, recites love letters up at the Elk family’s home and does some very strange paintings for the turtle brothers. But after all the jobs, will Hercules have enough money to buy the box of magic tricks?

The Magnificent Hercules Quick is a vibrant junior fiction novel from dynamic duo Ursula Dubosarsky and Andrew Joyner. How Dubosarsky can inject so much character, history and story into such a short word count I will never know, and Joyner’s delightful illustrations are so much fun to explore as you turn each page.

This is a perfect book for younger readers, with a simple storyline and easy to read language. But while being simple and easy to read, it’s also jampacked with rich characters, loads of humour and lots of fun. Hercules Quick is a very relatable protagonist, filled with enthusiasm and a can-do attitude, but with doubts and fears just like us all.

If you’re looking for a new series for younger readers or kids ready to tackle a book independently, I highly recommend The Magnificent Hercules Quick. From our own Australian Children’s Laureate for 2020-21 and Australian illustrator royalty, how can you go wrong!

For more fabulous books by Ursula Dubosarsky check out The Blue Cat and Brindabella. And for more from Andrew Joyner, make sure you check out The Pink Hat and Boo!.

Title: The Magnificent Hercules Quick
Author: Ursula Dubosarsky
Illustrator: Andrew Joyner
Publisher: Allen and Unwin, $4.99
Publication Date: 31 August 2021
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781761065712
For ages:  5 - 9
Type: Junior Fiction

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