The Day My Family Disappeared

This bite-sized adventure story will appeal to any child who has ever been so fed up with their family that they wished they would simply disappear!

Bob Bunyun is a young boy who is not very creative. This is a huge bone of contention for him as he is the only member of his family without a discernible talent. While his brothers and sisters seem destined for fame via dance, opera or even baking, all Bob can create is grotesque blobs out of mashed potato. To make matters worse, Bob’s family are eager to remind him, frequently, of this depressing lack of originality.

It’s no surprise when Bob wishes that his whole family would disappear. What is a surprise, is when he wakes up to find, like Kevin in Home Alone, that the house is empty and his family are nowhere to be seen!

After a short while enjoying the novelty of his situation (wearing his brother’s clothes, eating his sister’s cakes etc) Bob begins to realise that it is not just his family who are missing. The whole town is like a ghost town: the only remaining residents seem to be the witless police officer (Bill) and his son (Bill Junior), neither of whom appear minutely concerned by the sudden displacement of the town’s population. It becomes clear to the earnest and brave Bob that he must embark upon an intrepid adventure (just like his favourite TV explorer) in order to find his family.

Bob is just the kind of easygoing, positive person that one would want for company on an epic adventure. He isn’t phased by things like over-friendly farm animals or mysterious ex-teachers wandering through the woods, and he is quite handy at picking up clues.

The story and accompanying illustrations are fun and playful but there are not quite enough jokes or silly moments to keep young readers chuckling all the way through. The manageable length and level of challenge mean that it’s a very accessible story; one that may help some young readers develop their love for stories and encourage them to read even more.