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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Gross but hilarious
Chrissi and I have made no secret of the fact that we love David Walliams' writing for children and we've covered a few books now of his in our Kid-Lit challenge, so it was a bit of a no-brainer whether we would be putting another of his books up this year for discussion! Ratburger was another absolute joy to read and as before, the illustrations by Tony Ross were just the icing on the cake. In fact, if I consider all the David Walliams books we've read so far, I'm struggling to pick a favourite. This is a line up where each book is special and individual in its own right, each one has a host of glorious characters of heroes to adore and villains to despise, and Ratburger is another wonderful treat easily comparable to all the others.
In this story, our protagonist is a small girl called Zoe who lives with her beloved father and (evil) stepmother, Sheila who is addicted to prawn cocktail crisps and treats her step-daughter abominably. Zoe's father has retreated into himself immensely since her mother died and soon after, he lost his dream job in the ice cream factory. Now he spends all of his days drowning his sorrows in the pub, reluctant to hunt too hard for another job. One of the only perks of Zoe's life is her new pet rat, Armitage (DON'T ask how she gave him his name but if you do know, have a good giggle with me in the comments!). Like her pet before him, she starts to teach him tricks and dreams of the day when she can leave the bullies at school behind and start her own performing animals show.
However, this wouldn't be a David Walliams book without a bit of trepidation, an unfortunate incident and a dastardly villain and our poor heroine happens to come across a very nasty individual who has grand plans for Armitage. Zoe then ends up in a very precarious situation where she must rescue her pet rat from a dangerous and hugely gruesome ending at the hands of a very odd man who makes very "special" burgers for a living.
This book is perfect for your average middle grade reader and like every other book I've read from this author, the humour is just right for that age group and perhaps even for a slightly immature adult like myself? Themes like death, bullying, being a bit different, chasing your dreams and family dynamics are introduced for the younger reader very delicately and at no time did I feel it was "too much," or inappropriate. There are a couple of ruder bits but I promise you they're incredibly tame and are more likely to make a child chuckle rather than scarring him/her for life! I've heard this described on Goodreads as more of a boy's book but I one hundred percent dispute that statement. I can't even imagine why the reviewer thought it was aimed more towards the male sex, I think both boys and girls would enjoy it equally. And hey, a brave female lead is ALWAYS appreciated here on this blog so thank you David Walliams for giving us Zoe, a determined, dreamy young girl who knows what she wants and will stop at nothing until she gets it despite the hardship she may suffer along the way.
For my full review and many more, please visit my blog at http://www.bibliobeth.com
In this story, our protagonist is a small girl called Zoe who lives with her beloved father and (evil) stepmother, Sheila who is addicted to prawn cocktail crisps and treats her step-daughter abominably. Zoe's father has retreated into himself immensely since her mother died and soon after, he lost his dream job in the ice cream factory. Now he spends all of his days drowning his sorrows in the pub, reluctant to hunt too hard for another job. One of the only perks of Zoe's life is her new pet rat, Armitage (DON'T ask how she gave him his name but if you do know, have a good giggle with me in the comments!). Like her pet before him, she starts to teach him tricks and dreams of the day when she can leave the bullies at school behind and start her own performing animals show.
However, this wouldn't be a David Walliams book without a bit of trepidation, an unfortunate incident and a dastardly villain and our poor heroine happens to come across a very nasty individual who has grand plans for Armitage. Zoe then ends up in a very precarious situation where she must rescue her pet rat from a dangerous and hugely gruesome ending at the hands of a very odd man who makes very "special" burgers for a living.
This book is perfect for your average middle grade reader and like every other book I've read from this author, the humour is just right for that age group and perhaps even for a slightly immature adult like myself? Themes like death, bullying, being a bit different, chasing your dreams and family dynamics are introduced for the younger reader very delicately and at no time did I feel it was "too much," or inappropriate. There are a couple of ruder bits but I promise you they're incredibly tame and are more likely to make a child chuckle rather than scarring him/her for life! I've heard this described on Goodreads as more of a boy's book but I one hundred percent dispute that statement. I can't even imagine why the reviewer thought it was aimed more towards the male sex, I think both boys and girls would enjoy it equally. And hey, a brave female lead is ALWAYS appreciated here on this blog so thank you David Walliams for giving us Zoe, a determined, dreamy young girl who knows what she wants and will stop at nothing until she gets it despite the hardship she may suffer along the way.
For my full review and many more, please visit my blog at http://www.bibliobeth.com
I really wanted to like this book so badly. Knowing that David Walliams considers Roald Dahl as one of his biggest inspirations, I was immediately sold.
However, although Dahl's influences are very clear in Walliams' writing style, unfortunately, Dahl's talent in storytelling and characterbuilding are glaringly absent.
Walliams' cast of characters consist of one-dimensional chqaracters riddled with clichés. There is not a single original character to be found in this book. From the horid stepmother, to the absent single parent and the kindhearted, exeptional child being bullied. They've all been done before, and better.
It's such a shame, because the story itself is rather entertaining. I still enjoyed reading it and I think it's a fun book for the younger middle grade readers.
Maybe it is true after all. Maybe rats really are the most unloved living things on the planet.
However, although Dahl's influences are very clear in Walliams' writing style, unfortunately, Dahl's talent in storytelling and characterbuilding are glaringly absent.
Walliams' cast of characters consist of one-dimensional chqaracters riddled with clichés. There is not a single original character to be found in this book. From the horid stepmother, to the absent single parent and the kindhearted, exeptional child being bullied. They've all been done before, and better.
It's such a shame, because the story itself is rather entertaining. I still enjoyed reading it and I think it's a fun book for the younger middle grade readers.
Maybe it is true after all. Maybe rats really are the most unloved living things on the planet.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
i loved this book when i read it it was funny not to hard and just the right length i would recommend this book to a six seven year old or some body with dislexia
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Bit rubbish. Brilliant for younger children definitely
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No