Sammy Rambles and the Attack of the Deeply Unoriginal Ideas...

[Kit-Ginevra]

Whilst sorting through the books in the store, I found one by a local author(signed copy too!) that looked vaguely interesting to pass the time with my cup of tea. I've only got to Chapter 3 and it may just be me, but there's something slightly familiar about it...

Sammy Rambles and the Floating Circus

Sammy is bullied at school and it is decided he has to move to a new one. A mysterious man with a long beard shows up and gives him directions as to how to get there. When he arrives at the start of September, he can see the castle that is his new school beautifully, but all his parents can see is a crumbling old ruin. Fortunately he meets a family whose daughter is going there who can show him the way. She's the youngest of a family of brothers who have strikingly coloured green hair. They are divided into houses, each of which has a colour and an element and has a common room and boys and girls' dormitories. The house has chosen them specially to fit in.One of the teachers gives Sammy a peculiar feeling that there is something he should be wary about with her. Stars are given for good behaviour and taken away for bad behaviour. They eat in a great hall where food magically appears on their plates.At the welcoming feast, the mysterious man(who is the headmaster) encourages them all to tuck in before giving them the news for the year. The school was founded when great wizards and sorcerers decided to teach youngsters magic. There is an amazing game-Dragonball- which is played by throwing balls through goals whilst flying on a dragon. Whilst on the tour of the school, the students are told about the secret passageways and shown the dragonball court where the houses compete against each other.They must keep out of the Forgotten Forest unless they are studying dragons there. They have met the school nurse and the caretaker and then have to choose their staffs-or the staffs choose them. Sammy finds a staff that produces fire and so is obviously meant to be his, but when he does so, some mysterious dark hooded figures appear(the Shapes) which are associated with a sinister darkness....

[Seanette]

Now WHERE have we heard something very like this before?

[El Pollo Guerrera]

I remember that one! It was called "Billy and the Clone-a-saurus" or something!

[Kit-Ginevra]

Next couple of chapters- some of the other pupils have arrived late at school and have to arrive coming down a tube(!). They are injured in the landing and have to go off to the healer's (who happens to live in a cottage by the forest) so they miss the welcome feast. Afterwards, Sammy is asked to go to the Headmaster's office, which is full of strange objects and pictures of staff that are actually moving. He meets the Headmaster's pet cat who lives with him in the office, and finds out that the Headmaster is rather partial to a particular type of sweets which happen to change to different flavours whilst being eaten. He also finds out that one of the other pupils in a different house seems for some reason to have a grudge against him, which he must find out more about.
It's actually quite entertaining to see what will happen next! (and for reasons best known to himself, the writer has named Sammy's new female friend Dixie Dean.Would definitely advise against her getting contact with your balls... )