Down the Plot Hole
Age 8+
Family & Home Stories
A fun-filled fractured fairytale adventure in a very surprising, Grimm world.
'There’s a word missing.’ Terry pointed to the book. ‘The maid plucked the … ready for the spit.’ He flipped back a page. ‘It said she was sitting beside a black hen, right?’
It was true. The words ‘black hen’ were gone. All that remained was a larger-than-usual space. A gap. An emptiness. A hole … in the plot.
Neighbours and reluctant reading partners Basil and Terry are once again reading The Complete Fairytales of the Brothers Grimm. Last time, they found themselves plunged into the fairytale world, where everyone was losing the plot. This time, words – well, chickens – are disappearing! Realising their fairytale friends are in danger of being sucked into oblivion by plot holes, the boys don’t hesitate before diving back into the Grimm world to warn them. It’s up to Basil and Terry to find out what’s going on and how to stop the plot holes from
destroying everything … including their way home.
Praise for Losing the Plot: 'Perfect for kids who prefer their comedy action-packed, their epic adventures brimming with magic, and their fantastical stories jam-packed with laughs' Readings
Creators
Annaleise Byrd grew up on a farm in Queensland, ignoring most farm-related pursuits in favour of reading books. She then spent nine years in England and Canada, neglecting a variety of jobs in favour of reading books. Eventually, she realised the best way to get away with this was to become an author. Annaleise now lives in Brisbane with her husband, two young sons and rescue greyhound, and she is particularly fond of lamingtons. You can find her online at www.annaleisebyrd.com.
Reviews
This action packed 174 page book will be loved by children who enjoy reading about funny action packed adventure stories. As well, it is filled with mystery, magic and fantastic adventures. It also has a novel short quiz at the end that children will enjoy completing.
Trevor Cairney
What I enjoyed about DOWN THE PLOT HOLE: Freakin’ loved the fact that DOWN THE PLOT HOLE occurs one week after LOSING THE PLOT, and that Basil is suffering from Post Traumatic Storyline Disorder. The emphasis on character flaws and overcoming them – especially in regard to Basil’s anxiousness (which he perceives as cowardice). Terry’s charisma and bravery in the face of fear and borrow! The friendship between Basil and Terry and the fairytale characters.
idreamofallthebooks via instagram
Down The Plothole is a humerous, surprising, clever, action-packed, and magical adventure! This book is uniquely situated for readers needing something overlapping between a chapter book and middle grade. While I didn’t know this was the second book in a series, I found it easy to catch up. I love the concept of falling into a storybook to fix plot holes. This book’s storyline, characters, and many funny moments are brilliant!
murraysmiraculousmissions via instagram
The author has crafted a fractured fairytale that not only engages Basil and Terry, but also the independent reader who is just discovering the fantasy adventure genre, and still prefers to keep a fingerhold on what they know before immersing themselves in a completely unfamiliar world with unfamiliar characters, situations and magic. With its clever wordplay and humour, and narrated by Basil as the reluctant tutor so the reader feels an integral part of the adventure because they have access to Basil’s thoughts, feelings, actions and responses, with appropriate promotion this is a series that may well capture both the quest for adventure and the fun of reading as it did for Terry.
The Bottom Shelf
