Product Description

Angus is forced to be much more grown up than he wants to be - he has to look after his sister and baby brother and he's only eleven. He dreams of being wild and free like the pirate in a story he tells Imogen and Leo but instead he spends lots of time changing nappies and cleaning up. His mum, a TV star, calls him Mr Dependable, but he can barely cope and knows that another baby in the family could mean disaster. He must find out about contraception, and convince his mother that he is still a child. Finally his friend Rindi, who has troubles of her own, gives him an idea that delights all the children and makes clear his need to be free.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #75434 in Books
• Published on: 2003-08-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Angus worships his two younger siblings and helps his much-married, actress mother to take care of them. But he is tired of his "Mr Dependable" tag and starts to resent his mum's perpetual flirtations with unsuitable men that leave him, quite literally, holding the baby while husbands one, two and three get on with their own lives. And when taking care of the little ones threatens to interfere with rehearsals for the school play, Angus decides that something has to be done, especially when he realises that his errant and incredibly fertile mother could well be en route to another pregnancy.

Morris Gleitzman is in fine form in this complex, funny and totally endearing tale which successfully turns the coming-of-age cliché upside down, presenting us with a young boy with the weight of responsibility on his shoulders as he tries to find a way to enjoy his childhood. As ever, Gleitzman shines in one of the best books a child is ever likely to read. (Ages 9 to 12) --Susan Harrison

About the Author
Morris Gleitzman, born in Lincolnshire, went to Australia as a teenager. He worked as a paperboy, a shelf-stacker, a frozen chicken de-froster, an assistant to a fashion designer and more, before taking a degree in Professional Writing at Canberra College and becoming a writer. He has written for TV, stage, newspapers and magazines but is best-known for his hugely successful children's books. Morris lives in Melbourne.

Customer Reviews

Good Book
The book Bumface by Morris Gleitzman is a very funny and amusing book. I would recommend that anyone below the age of twelve does not read this book as it contains scenes for an older age of person. The book is very amusing . This book had me falling off my chair with laughter and although this book is quite funny, it is also very rude. It is about a boy called Angus who is nicknamed Bumface by his schoolmates and it is about his struggke to look after his brother and sister. It is also about his affair with a girl called Rindi and his mission to stop his mother getting pregnant. This book is very comical and I would reccomend it to anyone who is looking for a humourous book. I would definately read it again.

A fantastic read!
I read this book to my Year 6 class and they loved it - however, it is one of those books that has a lot for adults as well, as my reading of it was occasionally punctuated by my own snorts, sniggers and tuts as Morris Gleitzman dug his characters deeper into the mire! There's a lot that happens in this story - Angus, the hero, is a normal boy who has too much responsibility thrust upon him, and really he just wants to have time to be a kid; his friend Rindi is in a different position, but essentially has the same problem - she is being made to grow up too soon. This story has it all - it's extremely funny, has great characters with infuriating adults who have no idea what it's like to be a kid; it shows how life is really unfair, has heroics and daring-do, and ultimately a very satisfactory ending. I recommend this book to adults, teens and tweens alike - it's great!

Bumface
I have loved this book ever since I was 5 years old (honestly - even ask my brother - I used to sit in bed with him every single night listening to it on tape and I loved every second)Anyway, it is about a boy called Angus who has a little brother and sister and at school, he does a project about pirates.

I would reccomend this book to ages 5(!)-12