Book review by Steve Bennett
Helen Rutter’s debut novel, about an 11-year-old boy with a stammer who wants to become a stand-up, was inspired by her own son’s difficulties with speech.
But, really, The Boy Who Made Everyone Laugh, will resonate with every pre-teen who feels there’s something different about them which makes it difficult to fit in at school. And there are a lot of youngsters like that.
We meet Billy Plimpton as he faces the terrifying prospect of going to secondary school, away from the people who know him and his stammer. His survival plan is to get through each day without uttering a word, until the miracle cure he’s sure is out there will fix his speech once and for all.
Book review by Steve Bennett
Helen Rutter’s debut novel, about an 11-year-old boy with a stammer who wants to become a stand-up, was inspired by her own son’s difficulties with speech.
But, really, The Boy Who Made Everyone Laugh, will resonate with every pre-teen who feels there’s something different about them which makes it difficult to fit in at school. And there are a lot of youngsters like that.
We meet Billy Plimpton as he faces the terrifying prospect of going to secondary school, away from the people who know him and his stammer. His survival plan is to get through each day without uttering a word, until the miracle cure he’s sure is out there will fix his speech once and for all.