The school swimming carnival is on and Weir isn’t looking forward to ANY of it! Not the TINY cozzies! Or getting water UP HIS NOSE! And especially not the RACING! Can Weir win for his team? It won’t be easy... but it will be FUNNY!
Anh Do is a comedian, artist and also one of the highest selling Australian authors of all time, with total book sales approaching 3 million.
Anh’s first book, The Happiest Refugee, is his enormously popular memoir recounting his perilous childhood journey in a tiny boat from war-torn Vietnam to Australia. The book became an instant hit and has won numerous awards including Australian Book of the Year.
Anh has since turned his attention to children’s book writing.
Weird Do is an illustrated series starring Weir (1st name), Do (2nd name), a kid with a very unfortunate name. Aimed at the 8+ market, these books have gone off the charts as national best-sellers, resulting in 14 books total and more on the way. The first Weir Do won the Australian Book Industry Award for Older Children (2014).
Other children's book series include Hotdog, the adventures of a sausage dog and also Ninja Kid, the escapades of a 10 year old Nerd who discovers he’s the world’s last ninja.
In 2019, Anh released Wolf Girl, a series about a little girl who gets lost in forest and befriends a group of dogs and an enormous Wolf who become her family. Then came Rise of the Mythix, which marks the first of a number of sagas described by Anh as ‘A superhero movie in a book’.
All of Anh Do’s books are mega bestsellers and all rate between 4-5 star averages on websites such as Goodreads and Amazon.
It’s clear that Anh is an exciting voice in literature, able to delight across age ranges and different genres with great success, and he isn’t planning to slow down any time soon.
Weir is dreading his school’s swimming carnival and I know exactly how he feels. After attempting to fake his way out of having to attend [“COUGH! COUGH!”] Weir relents, deciding he will attend but not participate in any events. After all, if he’s too ‘sick’ for the swimming carnival then he won’t be able to attend the first family dinner with the Do’s new next door neighbours.
When he accidentally wins a race at the carnival Weir not only has to worry about his family embarrassing him in front of Bella and her family at dinner the next evening, he also has to face almost certain humiliation at the Regional Swimming Finals! Weir’s classmates, who have featured earlier in the series, make appearances in this book; naturally Han Some is as brilliant at swimming as you’d expect.
After reading the previous ten books I feel like I know Weir, his family and his friends. Anh Do’s books are always funny but I’m finding them funnier as the series progresses as I’m getting to know everyone better.
The illustrations always add to the humour of Anh’s books. My favourite image this time was the family pets playing a game of limbo. While I definitely enjoy chuckling my way through them Anh’s books always make me wish I had a kid to read them with.
My favourite part about the book was when the character Toby Hogan had underpants halfway down his butt crack. It made me laugh continuously and I couldn't stop laughing it was that funny.
This was the favourite in the series so far. I laughed so hard reading this to my son we had to stop for a minute. It hasn't even made it to the bookshelf yet, it just keeps getting re-read.
General Information: Look at the Goodreads page of this book
Summary: Look at the Goodreads page of this book
Positives: This book, unlike most of the other books in the WeirDo series has only one plot which is the swimming carnival. The plot is written well and is concise. However, what I really liked about Splashy Weird! is Anh Do's character development of Weir. Do developed Weir as a boy who always try his best no matter the complications. He tries his best in the swimming carnival despite not wanting to attend and does not give up despite coming last in the backstroke race. This hard work all pays off for Weir as he is praised by his friends and family at the end of the book. This inspiration "if you work hard you will achieve" aspect which is included in the book is a very nice addition.
Negatives: My main negative with Splashy Weird! is the plot. Although it is a written well and is concise, it is not very interesting. I expected this to happen due to setting/focus of the book being a swimming carnival, which is very hard to make interesting. The plot does not have many shock moments or surprising turn of events. Perhaps the book could have had a race which Weir is surprisingly good or a secret swimming event.
Recommendation: I recommend this book for young children (5-13) but also for people who are feeling discouraged as this book is a great motivator as it encourages people to try their best.
Conclusion: Splashy Weird! is definitely a step up from Messy Weird! It is an inspirational book and the main character, Weir is developed very well in this book. However, the plot does not have many surprise moments.
Book Review: Splashy Weird! Wierdo 11 by Anh Do – A Hilarious Dive into the Swimming Carnival! ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Splashy Weird! Wierdo 11 by Anh Do is a wonderfully funny graphic novel that centers around the antics of the characters during a chaotic swimming carnival! The story captures the excitement and silliness that unfolds as our quirky protagonist, along with their friends, prepares for the big event.
In summary, Splashy Weird! Wierdo 11 is a delightful read filled with humor, friendship, and unforgettable swimming carnival shenanigans. Anh Do has crafted another gem that is sure to leave readers giggling and cheering for the wonderfully weird characters! Dive in for a fantastic adventure!
More funny adventures with Weir and his friends - this time at the school swimming sports where Weir learns that participation and having fun is even more important than winning.
i like the bit when weIr says to his mum “mum something is wrong and he has big green stuff in his ear a grandpa sticks his finger up whirs ear and says mmmmmm delicious peppermint toothpaste
great story and pictures about Weirs swimming carnival and the Regional swimming carnival the next day plus family dinner with Weirs and Bella's family