Some books give you something to think about, while some just want you to stop thinking too much and simply have fun. The Worst Class Trip Ever by Dave Barry is about a road trip of eighth graders and just wants you to enjoy the ride with them.

The hilarious page-turner is a story in the voice of an eighth grader Wyatt Plamer, and chronicles a class trip to the US capital. What was meant to be a tour filled with history lessons turns out to be an action and adventure filled trip right from the moment they set foot on the aeroplane taking them to Washington DC.

Wyatt and his geeky pals Matt, Victor and Cameron spot some suspicious-looking characters in the flight and one of them steals a strange object from their backpack.

The boys reckon that these guys are terrorists on their way to harm the president. And despite all the security agencies and secret service guys available, Wyatt and the lads believe they are the only ones who can save their country from an international conspiracy and set about to do so. They don’t have a choice either as they have stolen something the bad guys want very badly and the kids get chased around the capital as they move from one historical sight to another.

But is there really a terrorist threat or is it their imagination working overtime — this is something I am not going to tell here.

Published in Dawn, Young World, September 17th, 2016