The Far-Out Five: Portal Loo Panic

Packed with visual gags, wordplay and good humour, this latest offering from comedian Olaf Falafel delivers a riotous adventure. This is the second instalment in the series (see also The Far-Out Five: Snot Jelly Island), but also functions as a standalone and includes a handy recap in the early chapters.

The story is based on a group of five friends who were previously magically transformed into bonkers creatures (a unicorn, a koala, a blue-footed booby, a rapping seal and a walking bathtub!). The gang finds itself on a chaotic quest across multi-dimensional worlds, hopping through an interconnected maze of Portal Loos to outrun an impala, while also trying to help Wally the Koala to find a genuine toilet to finally have a wee!

This delicious series is pitched well for readers in Years 3 to 5, who I think will devour it, and the action moves at an exciting pace that never sits still long enough for children to lose interest (even the chapter about watching paint dry is full of tongue-in-cheek humour and visual gags!). The bite-sized chapters with bright and bold illustrations create a highly accessible format for reluctant readers.

It came as no surprise to me that the author is an award-winning comedian, and there’s rarely a moment when the energy of the humour drops. Yes – there’s a healthy dose of toilet humour and the occasional gross-out joke – but the narrative remains good-natured and easy to follow despite the multi-dimensional mayhem. This is the kind of book that celebrates fun for fun’s sake, making it a superb addition to any Key Stage 2 bookshelf.