{"product_id":"benny-and-omar-2","title":"Benny And Omar","description":"\u003cp\u003eTwo very different cultures collide in this hilarious book about a young\u003cbr\u003esports fanatic named Benny who is forced to leave his home in Ireland and move\u003cbr\u003ewith his family to Tunisia. He wonders how he will survive in such an\u003cbr\u003eunfamiliar place. Then he teams up with wild and resourceful Omar, and a madcap\u003cbr\u003efriendship between the two boys leads to trouble, escapades, a unique way of\u003cbr\u003ecommunicating, and ultimately, a heartbreaking challenge.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTeacher resources available\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003cbr\u003eMorton's bristly Scottish brogue emphasizes the fish-out-of-water stature of\u003cbr\u003eColfer's protagonist Benny, an Irish lad who finds himself transplanted, along\u003cbr\u003ewith his family, to Tunisia. Benny is forced to leave his favorite game of\u003cbr\u003ehurling behind, and must struggle with a new school very different from what he\u003cbr\u003eknew; he takes solace in meeting Omar, a new friend who helps him adjust to the\u003cbr\u003elay of the land in his new home. Morton reads with a sincerity that helps him\u003cbr\u003eserve up Colfer's smooth prose with aplomb. Fans of the author's Artemis Fowl\u003cbr\u003efantasy series will find an entertaining change of pace in this contemporary,\u003cbr\u003emore character-driven text, though still plenty of adventure. Ages 10-up.\u003cbr\u003e(June)Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eVOYA\u003cbr\u003eColfer has quite the following of supernatural fans with the entertaining\u003cbr\u003eArtemis Fowl series, and they may be surprised when they pick up the more\u003cbr\u003erealistic Benny series, originally published in the U.K. In 1998. In Benny and\u003cbr\u003eOmar, Benny, a lover of hurling (similar to field hockey), is forced to move\u003cbr\u003ewith his family to Tunisia. The culture shock is amazing, and he finds it\u003cbr\u003edifficult to adjust. Soon Benny befriends an orphan named Omar. When Benny\u003cbr\u003elearns of Omar's mentally challenged sister living in an institution, the two\u003cbr\u003eset out on an adventure to try to rescue her. Throughout the book, Benny grows\u003cbr\u003eand learns to think of others besides himself. In the sequel, Benny and Babe,\u003cbr\u003eBenny spends his summer with his grandfather in the country. As a 'townie,' he\u003cbr\u003etries to find his way 'in' with a group of locals through his love of hurling.\u003cbr\u003eBut he is surprised when he is outmatched by a girl named Babe and her dog. The\u003cbr\u003etwo soon try out a money-making venture that attracts the interest of local\u003cbr\u003ethug Furty Howlin. Throughout the books local Irish colloquialisms and dialect\u003cbr\u003eare used, which can sometimes be challenging. Younger teen readers will enjoy\u003cbr\u003eand be able to identify with the comedic adventures of Benny. According to the\u003cbr\u003eO'Brien Press Web site, Benny and Babe became a number-one bestseller in\u003cbr\u003eIreland and knocked Harry Potter out of the top spot.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eKLIATT\u003cbr\u003eBenny Shaw is a scrappy 12-year-old who wants nothing more than to join his\u003cbr\u003ehurling team in their attempt to win the All-Ireland Final. But when his father\u003cbr\u003eis transferred to a job in Africa, Benny's whole world changes. No one in their\u003cbr\u003enew Tunisian home has heard of hurling and no one appreciates Benny's cheeky\u003cbr\u003esarcasm-until Omar comes along. Omar is an orphan who lives by his wits and\u003cbr\u003espeaks English only in television phrases. He and Benny become fast friends,\u003cbr\u003ewhich involves Benny sneaking off from the village and taking breakneck rides\u003cbr\u003eon Omar's decrepit motorbike. Omar is also determined to save his younger\u003cbr\u003esister from a mental hospital, and of course Benny is enlisted to help. Their\u003cbr\u003eadventures are told in a funny, sardonic voice with a quickly shifting\u003cbr\u003eperspective. Some degree of stereotyping is present but not overwhelming;\u003cbr\u003eissues of loyalty, along with occasional touches of real emotion, add a fully\u003cbr\u003ehuman feeling. Readers who like sports and fast-paced adventures will love both\u003cbr\u003ethe plot and the challenge of puzzling out Omar's television-talk and the Irish\u003cbr\u003eand Tunisian slang. KLIATT Codes: J-Recommended for junior high school\u003cbr\u003estudents.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"O’Brien Press Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51273208463643,"sku":"9781788490825","price":10.5,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0915\/4363\/4203\/files\/9781788490825.jpg?v=1771449547","url":"https:\/\/abcschoolsupplies.ie\/products\/benny-and-omar-2","provider":"ABC School Supplies ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}