The Death Defying Pepper Roux

McCAUGHREAN GERALDINE THE DEATH DEFYING PEPPER ROUXOxford Children's Books (Ages 10+)
ISBN: 9780192756022

This is an adventure story as seen through the eyes of a fourteen-year-old boy. Although he has been brought up to believe in his impending death, Pepper does not want to die. He is very aware of danger, and ways in which to die, but apart from that, he is very innocent of how the world works. The reader sees the world through Peppers eyes, complete with his wonder and confusion as he muddles through a series of increasingly surreal situations.

Pepper runs away from home on his birthday, trying to outrun his death. He has been told that he will die before he is fourteen, and his family believe it utterly. The first line of the book reads,

“On the morning of his fourteenth birthday, Pepper had been awake for fully two minutes before realizing it was the day he must die”.

During his travels, Pepper assumes different roles, characters, and even names. He becomes everything from a newspaper journalist to a salami sausage slicer, and even joins the foreign legion. Each time he moves on as someone is following him, who later turns out to be his only friend, Duchess.

Characters in the book are cartoon like, and fit with the perceptions of a child. The unlikely becomes every day, and the story bounces along at a swift rate of knots. A fellow reader described the book to me by saying, “it’s a good story but its bonkers”. This I can agree with wholeheartedly. I enjoyed reading it as a one off, but found it more like reading Baron Munchausen than anything else. I can see how the speed, humour, and adventure would appeal to young readers, and especially boys who may wish they were on an adventure like that. I can also appreciate that more crafted or well-rounded characters would not suit the story, and would indicate a more adult viewpoint than Pepper. There is skill and thought in this novel, but it is not one that I would usually read.

Bonkers, a fast paced tale with cartoon like characters. 5/10

What I have learned;

·        To think about the characters perspective and how they see the world

·        Unusual and quirky things can add humour