If you want to be a champion at the Olympic games one day, then you will have to eat... Greek food! Why? Ask Mr. Papadopoulos: “The thing is, Mr. Papadopoulos,” said Hooey, ignoring Twig, “you’ve eaten Greek food all your life, haven’t you?” “Why eat anything else?” asked Mr. Papadopoulos, scrunching the fingers of his right hand together and kissing the tips. “It is the food of champions!” (page 68) You know that the first Olympic games took place in Greece...
Hooey Higgins is the main character of the story. At school, his teacher, Miss Troutson, gives some exciting news: “Mr. Papadopoulos, the manager of the local Greek restaurant, has agreed to sponsor some special Olympic events at next week’s Sports Day.” (...) To gasps of amazement, Miss Troutson held up a blue and white ribbon with a gold medal dangling from the end of it. (...) “It says: WINNER OF THE SHRIMPTON-ON-SEA GAMES.” (pages 15-17) Twig, Hooey's best friend, wants to participate. He wants to show everyone that he is a champion. He also wants to impress Samantha Curbitt... Hooey and his older brother, Will, offer to help. But if they want Twig to win, they will need to train him...
Hooey’s grandfather and Mr. Papadopoulos are best friends! When they were younger, they used to compete in the cheese-rolling competition: “What’s cheese-rolling?” “Same as it sounds. You take a wheel of cheese up to the top of a hill and let go of it. Then everyone chases it down to the bottom. It’s a bit mad really.” (page 57) Hooey’s grandfather has won the cheese-rolling competition two years in a row, but the third time, his friend, Theo Papadopoulos, has beaten him. From that day on, no one else has managed to beat Mr. Papadopoulos because he used to live on the food of the original Greek champions.
One day, Hooey and Twig go to Mr. Papadopoulos’s restaurant. Twig eats some Feta cheese. This is salty Greek cheese, made from the milk of sheep. After Twig tries the Feta cheese, Mr. Papadopoulos asks him: “But how do you feel?” Twig smiles and says that he feels like a champion.
Hooey and Will are sure that Twig needs more than just Feta cheese to win the hundred-metre race. He needs to run really fast. The Higgins brothers come up with a brilliant and crazy idea: “Will cut holes in the bacon with some scissors, took a length of string from his pocket and threaded it through the middle. Then he walked over to Twig and tied it around his waist.” (page 80) Twig doesn’t know why he has bacon around his waist, but he soon finds out the reason... Basbo’s father approaches the school playing field (where the boys are) with his two dogs. The dogs smell the bacon and start to chase Twig. Twig runs so fast! He manages to beat his own record! (Note: Basbo is Hooey and Twig’s classmate. He is mean! Really mean! If he has an angry face, then be sure that he wants to kill someone. Basbo also talks strange, he has his own language: “SMASHIMINNA BRIMBLES! WHOPPIMINNA WOOBEREES! BASHIM INNA BINGERTONS! CRACKIMINNA CROOPONS!”)
Soon, the Sports Day arrives and everyone is ready for the Shrimpton-on-Sea games. When the hundred-metre race begins, Twig’s certain that he will win the competition. But troubles appear. Basbo’s father is with his dogs at school, too. The dogs recognize Twig and start to chase him again (probably in search of bacon). Twig gets off the track and runs away from the dogs. He accidentally hits Samantha, who was eating Camembert cheese. Twig knocks the cheese from Samantha’s hand. The cheese runs down a steep hill. Twig stumbles and falls down the hill with a lot of humps and bumps. Before falling into water, Twig catches the Camembert cheese. The people start to cheer, except for Hooey and Will. Twig hasn’t won the hundred-metre race... But he has won something else: the cheesy chase competition! Even though this competition isn’t part of the Sports Day, Mr. Papadopoulos offers Twig a gold medal for being a cheesy chase champion! Here’s what Mr. Papadopoulos says: “The world say it too dangerous. The world say it cannot be done. In fact” – and here Mr. Papadopoulos’s bottom lip quivered with emotion – “I tell people that maybe Cheesy Chase no more. But when you watch cheese roll, when you see cheese bounce, something inside you say, NO! Cheesy Chase LIVE FOR EVER! And you run and you jump and you follow cheesy-bounce all the way to victory!” (page 134) Twig is happy that he has won a shiny gold medal. His friends, Hooey and Will, are proud of him. Samantha even kisses Twig on the cheek, congratulating him.
My favorite part of the story is when the Higgins brothers discover Twig’s secret: “Basbo’s dad seemed a little upset,” said Will as they stopped to catch their breath on the seafront. “Never mind him,” said Twig. “What about my shorts?” Twig turned round to reveal a ragged hole where the dog had ripped off the bacon. Will looked more closely. “Are you wearing your Mum’s pants?” he asked. “If you must know, someone got the presents mixed up at Christmas,” said Twig. “But they’re actually very comfy.” “Roomy too, by the look of it,” said Hooey. “I don’t wish to discuss my pants thank you very much,” said Twig. (...) Will opened his notebook. “Thanks to OPERATION MAD DOG, you ran the whole length of the track in fourteen point seven four seconds.” “Shweet,” said Twig. “Can I go and change my shorts now?” “Of course,” said Hooey. “After all, you’ll need to look good when you’re a famous athlete.” Twig stopped and his eyes lit up. “D’you really think Samantha will like me if I win a gold medal?” “Definitely,” said Hooey. “Girls love a winner, Twig. But maybe don’t tell her about your pants.” (pages 92-95) I laughed for a long time when I read this part of the story! :)
I would recommend “Hooey Higgins Goes for Gold” to anyone who likes any kind of cheese and would like to be a champion one day... I give the book five stars! And a slice of Feta cheese, too... :)
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