'You've probably heard of me, right? Little Badman. No? Oh. Well . . . doesn't Matter. You will do one day. I'm gonna be big.
I'm Humza Khan, the greatest eleven-year-old rapper Eggington ever had. I've also faced deadly alien slugs, killer aunties and double maths. But now, I (and my best friend Umer I guess) face something even scarier - my dad! He's pretty fed up with us being naughty, so he's sending us away . . . to school.
But this is not ordinary school. This is a special summer school in Pakistan, and man something weird is going on - someone has been messing with time!
I may have to save the world again . . .
Little Badman and the Time-Travelling Teacher of Doom is the second instalment of the Little Badman series, all revolving around eleven-year-old Humza Khan, a wannabe rapper from Eggington who loves to play practical jokes on everyone. After saving the world once already, Humza is determined that he will now be a successful spy working for "The Agency", but disappointment strikes as he and his best friend Umer are instead sent packing to a summer school in Pakistan for causing trouble one too many times. Although the strict headteacher, Mr Mahmood, threatens the pair with discipline and promises they will be "changed boys", the pair are soon back to their old tricks when they discover that their placement in Pakistan is actually part of the Agency's mission for them. Soon they find themselves desperately hunting down their science teacher, Mr Malik, trying to work out exactly why the Agency want them to follow him and if he really can be dangerous when he seems like the nicest man in school...
Having not read the first Little Badman I was keen to read the sequel, having heard good things about the first, but also because I was interested to see if it would work as a standalone, something which makes it a lot easier to recommend for children as they can just pick it up off the shelf without any prior knowledge. I'm pleased to say that despite it being the second in the series, Little Badman and the Time-Travelling Teacher of Doom really does work on its own. There's a quick rapped recap at the start (good luck if you're reading it aloud) which gives you some backstory to Humza, but aside from that this is a completely fresh story.
Humza as a character is completely hilarious and as the story is told from his perspective I really enjoyed the way his character was shown through the vocabulary chosen. I felt myself reading it in my head in my best South-East accent (completely terrible when you are VERY Northern) and the dialogue is written exactly as you would expect two eleven-year old children to interact.
The plot around the Agency and investigating Mr Malik may appear simple but is far from it as Humza and Umer discover and once it gets going their adventure doesn't stop until the final few pages. There's appearances from random dinosaurs, robots and multiple clones which all play a part in the mission the boys are set and the book is packed with funny moments and action from all directions.
This would work brilliantly throughout Key Stage Two, probably from Year 4 upwards, and is similar to the likes of Attack of the Demon Dinner Ladies or My Brother is a Superhero in terms of humour and content.
Time travelling, rapping, adventure and action all rolled into one.
Little Badman and the Time-Travelling Teacher of Doom is published on the 20th August. Thanks to Net Galley and Puffin Books for access to this advanced e-copy.
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