Augustine’s Lunch
Laura Budd

Allen & Unwin 2001

149p pbk  $15.95

ISBN: 1-86508-429-8

Augustine’s Lunch is a story based on an ordinary schoolboy's life. Steve, the newest and most macho student in the school has decided to bully Augustine, due to the fact that Augustine… cooks, which gave Steve a peculiar thought about Augustine, which is later explained in this humorous book. As well as picking on Gus, he has announced that Gus has no friends and no-one can, for any longer call Augustine by his life-long nickname, Gus. Even his best friends Liam and Bas barely looked at him, just in case they got involved with Steve. Guiding him through this awful destiny of being humiliated everyday by Steve Warner, is Brother Nicholas, who is always complimenting on Gus’s homemade meals. Brother Nicholas may seem nice, but unfortunately he deliberately allocated Gus to be in Steve’s tent for the notorious school camp.

As well as these troubles God has laid before Gus, there’s love trouble. Trinity Prakash. Gus’s love. Except, thanks to his bro, Luke, who’s a chick magnet; Trinity has fallen into Luke’s arms, even though Luke is dating Judy, which leads Luke to an undesirable outcome.

This is an extremely humorous book and is very different to those books where the beginning is quite vague and keeps you on your toes. This book is for basically for anyone and can be a read- aloud, read-along or read-alone book, though with some colourful language which may restrict younger readers. The storyline was well set as it assisted me to understand the story more. Out of 10, I rate this book 8 ½.

Gus d’Agostino is an ordinary 14-year-old boy but has a special talent… cooking! He loves making sandwiches for Brother Nicholas, and everyone thinks that Gus is queer for loving to cook so much.

Life is fine for Gus till Steve Warner (a new school bully) decides to butt in and destroy Gus’s perfect life. Gus is teased and ignored by his best friends that (for no good reason) don’t even like him anymore. To make matters worse for Gus the first girl that he has ever liked, uses him to get closer to his two timing brother.

Things couldn’t be worse for Gus at the moment till… he finds out that he has to go on a camp to learn survival skills in the bush. Squads of six were made up for each group and poor Gus gets put with the people he hates most! But things change in this part of the story and Gus’s future is looking brighter for him! Many interesting, funny, surprising and exciting things happen to the boys while at this camp and Gus begins to like the idea of the camp.

Augustine’s Lunch is a well-written book, full of laughter, excitement and emotional ups and downs. I would recommend this novel to children from the age of 9 to teenagers. In this novel being her first, Laura Budd has done an exceptional job in writing such a fun to read book.

Augustine’s Lunch is the story about a teenager who is trying to fit in at school. He has a hard time fitting in and it seems as if a bully is singling him out from all the others. To the other students Augustine seems a bit of a snob because he is the only one who brings food from home; they all think he is showing off.

This book is very funny, but there is a lack of reality, though the characters are very realistic. It is set along the Victorian coast. There are a quite a few plots that come together very nicely towards at the end. The book is very hard to put down towards the end and it doesn’t get boring at any point in the book. There are always bizarre events occurring, that keep the reader interested. The style is quick paced, told in third person and the end is very entertaining. Augustine’s Lunch is strong on character development.

A roller coaster of emotions come in this book, it is a feel good novel. The most disappointing thing about this book is that it is so short; it has a really good plot and all. It is a very exciting debut and I look forward to more of her books. Overall I gave this book 8/10.

Cezar, aged 15, Canberra, ACT

Gus D'Agostino is a fantastic cook who wants his food to be appreciated. When he comes to school as the new kid though, everything changes.  Everyone turns his back on Gus because he takes his own lunch to school. The school bully begins picking on him because he feels insulted that Gus won't eat a sausage roll from the canteen.  Things soon change again.  After Gus goes out with his brother and his friends one day, the school bully is even nice to Gus.  When they go on school camp all his other friends also like him again, but you'll only find out the reason why if you read the story!

The novel Augustine's Lunch is a fantastic read, the language is appropriate for the intended age group (11- 13) and it has many laughs.  It is only one hundred and forty-nine pages long, and is easy to read.  To begin with, the writing style is a bit confusing, but you easily adjust to it.  The print is large, and it is a perfect book to read along with your teacher at school.

I, personally, would give the story a seven and a half out of ten.  I found it a little  predictable, but it was still enjoyable and easy read.  For someone who really enjoyed their food and cooking, with a little bit of drama to spice up the action, this would be a perfect read for you!

Sam, age 12 ACT

A delicacy of a book

Laura Budd’s newest novel Augustines Lunch can be described as delicious. Aimed at both male and females aged between 13 and 16 years old, it was an excellent choice of publishers Allen & Unwin to add it to their collection. It follows the story of 15-year-old Augustine D’Agostino and his story as he fights the school bully, canteen food, camp, teenage love, what to have for lunch and his older brother the Chick Magnet. What follows is a marvelous mix of comedy and adventure with a pinch of love to taste. It has a lightly baked texture, which makes it easy enough for someone who has little reading experience to understand, but has that slightly browned affect for anyone looking for the deeper meaning. With an easy reading style and large font it suitable for both reading aloud and alone, but could also be used as a class text. Augustine, or Gus to his friends is one of a kind and his personal touch with cooking tips makes this book a recipe for success. I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone who is just starting out on novels and who wants something light and funny to satisfy their reading buds.