Books For Keeps
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Articles
  • Past Issues
  • Latest Issue
  • Authors and Artists
  • Latest News
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
November 5, 2017/in Fiction 10-14 Middle/Secondary /by Angie Hill
BfK Rating:
BfK 227 November 2017
Reviewer: Christine Hamill
ISBN: 978-0571338542
Price: £10.99
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Genre: Fiction
Age Range: 10-14 Middle/Secondary
Length: 336pp
Buy the Book

Matt Millz

Author: Harry HillIllustrator: Steve May

Wanna-be comedians and Harry Hill fans will love this.  Matt Mills dreams of being a comedian and of making the big time: he watches his heroes on DVD and hopes one day, that will be me. Trouble is, he’s only twelve and the other half of his comedy double act would rather be in the art room than on stage. So Matt goes it alone.  Well, nearly alone – he’s got his teeny tiny manager – the appropriately name Kitty Hope with him. Everyone needs a Kitty Hope in their corner: she’s focused, she’s tireless, she’s fearless…  she’s eleven! (she nearly stole the show, for me).  After a school talent show and some disastrous performances, Kitty gets Matt an audition for The T Factor (demon child of X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent) – if I say any more I’ll spoil the plot, but look out for a quintet of dancing chihuahuas and a rock bank called Toxic Cabbage (love how they got their name).

Kids will love the illustrations by The Beano’s Steve May and parents who take a sneaky peak will like the fact that Matt (Matthew) is actually Harry Hill’s real name and that the girl the boys all fancy is called Magda (Harry Hill’s wife’s real name) – cute. The book is a comic caper and a kind of handbook for would be comedians –there are lots of tips, for example, dealing with hecklers (Harry Hill’s own put down is the best and the funniest); and there are interesting explanations and lots of information about comedy greats to inspire young comedians – the Tommy Cooper jokes were especially well chosen: ‘Last night I slept like a log. I woke up in the fireplace’. Priceless.

Special thanks to Christine Hamill for providing this review.  Christine is the author of The Best Medicine, also a story of a junior would-be comedian. It is shortlisted for the Laugh Out Loud Book Award (Lollies) and has a starring role for Harry Hill.

Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on WhatsApp
  • Share on Pinterest
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share on Reddit
  • Share by Mail
http://booksforkeeps.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/bfklogo.png 0 0 Angie Hill http://booksforkeeps.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/bfklogo.png Angie Hill2017-11-05 13:52:002021-06-08 18:31:39Matt Millz

Search for a specific review

Author Search

Search







Generic filters




Filter by Member Types


Book Author

Download BfK Issue BfK 255 July 2022
Skip to an Issue:

About Us

Launched in 1980, we’ve reviewed hundreds of new children’s books each year and published articles on every aspect of writing for children.

Read More

Follow Us

Latest News

Sarah Hagger-Holt wins the 2022 Little Rebels Award for Radical Children’s Fiction 2022

July 21, 2022

Maisie Chan and her editor Georgia Murray of Piccadilly Press win the 2022 Branford Boase Award

July 14, 2022

Valerie Bloom wins the CLiPPA 2022

July 8, 2022

Contact Us

Books for Keeps,
30 Winton Avenue,
London,
N11 2AT

Telephone: 0780 789 3369

ISSN: 0143-909X (this is our International Standard Serial Number).

© Copyright 2022 - Books For Keeps | Proudly Built by Lemongrass Media - Web Design Buckinghamshire
The Secret Diary of Jane Pinny: Victorian housemaid (and accidental detecti... Grave Matters
Scroll to top