Selecting a children's book is very challenging. My little kid was not willing to shift from picture stories to books with fewer pictures. Tried a few books, but she was not entertained. Enter Roald Dahl, and she progressed to the next level in reading. Scouring for other writers like Mr. Roald Dahl, I came across a few books of David Walliams on the library shelf. It contained some quirky and colourful book covers similar to Roald Dahl. I remember seeing this person on the Britain Got Talent judge panel; he was funny. Let's see how this book of his was for me and my daughter.
This is the story of a little girl named Zoe and her father. Her mother passed away while she was little and her father had recently lost his job. Things are not looking that well. To add pain to her woes, her father had remarried a woman named Sheila. She treats Zoe cruelly which even her father is aware of to some extent. But he himself is hiding the fact that he had lost the job from her. Then there is the school bully, Tina Trotts who loves bullying her. One day, she encounters a rat which she befriends to keep her company during her lone time in the house. Sheila somehow finds it out and takes help from Burt in removing the same. Zoe has seen that guy near her school selling burgers and there is something fishy about the guy. He catches the rat and leaves the house even after Zoe's attempts to hide him. Will Zoe be able to save her rat? Does Burt have any ulterior moves and what transpires form the rest of the story.
What really worked out for me in this book was that the writing style of David Walliams reminded me of Roald Dahl - Quirky characters, sketchy illustrations, tongue in cheek comedies. If you look between the lines; you can see how subtly he has talked about issues like bullying at school, alcoholism of parents, abuse from family etc. Mr. Raj the shopkeeper was really funny. He does try to sell rotten sweets but he has a heart of gold. The love between Zoe and her father and Zoe's encounters with the bully were really good. Sheila and Burt were pretty mean and this worked well in the book and these two characters made the book exciting till the end. I really like the part where Zoe talks sense into her father and how they both encounter Burt and Sheila in an attempt to save the rat. A special mention to the illustrations by Tony Ross as well. It was an exciting book and my daughter also did enjoy the story well.
We both really enjoyed this book and would definitely like to explore more books by David Walliams. Too bad that I did not get a chance to be exposed to Roald Dhal and David Walliams during my childhood. We would recommend this book to any children or adult who needs a good book with lots of laughs and quirkiness. Roald Dahl readers will definitely like this book.
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