Things get out of hand when Mrs. Fogo spies Duff killing his best friend Simon. Neither she nor the police are impressed to learn the bored boys, who are banned from school as they recover from chicken pox, were simply acting out their favourite story. For the boys, however, it was an adventure matched only by the possibilities of their next plan hunting foreign spies at the mall. Duff the Giant Killer (Formac $5.95) is the latest in the First Novel series, designed for 6 to 9 year olds moving on from picture books. Written by Budge Wilson, the book is illustrated by Robert's Creek artist Kim LaFave.

[BCBW 1997]