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sanjastajdohar's review against another edition
3.0
Well, Walliams is not for me, I would say, not because I'm not the target reader, but because I don't like his "humor". So, even though I finished the book out of sheer curiosity to see what kind of weird and sometimes disgusting events he will put in (3 stars for making me curious, otherwise it would be two), I couldn't get into the mood. As with Dahl, it seemes to me I will like only one book by Walliams and not like all the others. I will give him one more chance, perhaps, just to be up to date with children's contemporary authors. So, if you like light cruelty and really dark humor combined with ridiculous plot, this is for you. If not, just look at the pictures, they are great as usual.
colorfulleo92's review against another edition
4.0
This was highly entertaining, and even though it's a short book it took me awhile to finish it. But I had a great time. I really disliked the aunt and loved the end. This is my first adventure with David Walliams but definitely not my last.
thebookishkimmy's review against another edition
3.0
I read this to my son at bedtime over a week or so which is probably a little ill advised, but thankfully no nightmares as a result.
As I’m not exactly the target audience for this, it’s hard to know what to say, but my 6 year old enjoyed it (what he was awake for), and I did find myself enjoying the read in the end too.
As I’m not exactly the target audience for this, it’s hard to know what to say, but my 6 year old enjoyed it (what he was awake for), and I did find myself enjoying the read in the end too.
tlt19's review against another edition
3.0
It had a few good moments but definitely not as good as his other books. Walliams is a great narrator and I loved the "letter of complaint" at the end....
debsblack's review against another edition
5.0
I didn’t really like it at the start but I liked it better as it went on
amalka's review
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
revri's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
9CHARACTERS: 8
The author chose violence when portraying the devilishness of Auntie Alberta. Although she may come across as a bit of a cartoonish villain and one-dimensional, I feel she did her role pretty well as a villain in a children's book and made the story vivid and alive. The relationship between Stella and Soot was charming and wholesome. I like the fact that they manage to overcome the background differences and support and learn from each other throughout the journey. The only character I wish we could get more of is Gibbon because he was just… there. The fact that even the owl had somewhat of a storyline but the long-running butler for the family didn’t was a bit weird for me.
ATMOSPHERE: 9
I wish we could have explored more about the architecture of the Saxby Hall but I guess this is more of a me thing. Other than that, I don’t have any turn-off when it comes to the atmosphere where the story took place.
WRITING STYLE: 10
I think the writing style was witty, campy, and fun but not to the point of cheesy or sugarcoated.
PLOT: 9
It is not a surprise that these kinds of stories mostly ended with a happy-ever-after ending but I think the author did well enough in crafting an adventure that was challenging enough to not give away the obvious ending. The protagonist sometimes did manage to overcome the challenges in a bit “unrealistic” and “magical” way but I think the stakes were high enough sometimes to make you feel that she might not be able to succeed.
INTRIGUE: 10
I get so hooked on to story to the point that I already finished the book before I could know it (like in a good way).
LOGIC: 7
I wouldn’t go too hard into splitting hairs but there were some logical errors in the story likewhy the police concluded that the parents passed away because of a car accident that quickly without factoring in the fact that they may get poisoned, why the parents prepared for the worst scenario by writing a will but failed to do anything to protect their daughter from the horrid auntie in case that bad scenario did happen or why Soot - a ghost could get drowned in the water (idk) . Despite that, I don’t think they negatively affect my reading experience and I doubt any middle-grade kids would even care about those little details like I do so I think these flaws were easily passable.
ENJOYMENT: 10
I know that I'm way passing the age demographic for this book but honestly, I have so much fun reading this.
OVERALL RATING: 9/10 -> 4.5 stars on StoryGraph.
The author chose violence when portraying the devilishness of Auntie Alberta. Although she may come across as a bit of a cartoonish villain and one-dimensional, I feel she did her role pretty well as a villain in a children's book and made the story vivid and alive. The relationship between Stella and Soot was charming and wholesome. I like the fact that they manage to overcome the background differences and support and learn from each other throughout the journey. The only character I wish we could get more of is Gibbon because he was just… there. The fact that even the owl had somewhat of a storyline but the long-running butler for the family didn’t was a bit weird for me.
ATMOSPHERE: 9
I wish we could have explored more about the architecture of the Saxby Hall but I guess this is more of a me thing. Other than that, I don’t have any turn-off when it comes to the atmosphere where the story took place.
WRITING STYLE: 10
I think the writing style was witty, campy, and fun but not to the point of cheesy or sugarcoated.
PLOT: 9
It is not a surprise that these kinds of stories mostly ended with a happy-ever-after ending but I think the author did well enough in crafting an adventure that was challenging enough to not give away the obvious ending. The protagonist sometimes did manage to overcome the challenges in a bit “unrealistic” and “magical” way but I think the stakes were high enough sometimes to make you feel that she might not be able to succeed.
INTRIGUE: 10
I get so hooked on to story to the point that I already finished the book before I could know it (like in a good way).
LOGIC: 7
I wouldn’t go too hard into splitting hairs but there were some logical errors in the story like
ENJOYMENT: 10
I know that I'm way passing the age demographic for this book but honestly, I have so much fun reading this.
OVERALL RATING: 9/10 -> 4.5 stars on StoryGraph.
meggyreads1's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
How many languages can I say that I love David Walliams writing it. Utterly heartbreaking bittersweet stories
titanic's review against another edition
5.0
"Do you have an awful auntie?"
I thought this book was a little, not scary but shocking for a children's book. The book practically started off with death and very much ended with it as well, not very child-friendly if you ask me. I did enjoy it though, the characters were unique and the book made me crack a few smiles. It felt like I was reading a Roald Dahl book (or David was reading a Roald Dahl book to me, as I couldn't help but hear his voice!) I also pictured Charlie Bucket as "Soot" which linked in more and more of Dahl, not that that's a bad thing.
Although this book is four hundred pages, it was a quick and really funny read. I couldn't stop turning the pages, and it generally made me happy reading it. I did think it was slightly repetitive with Stella being caught by her aunt constantly, but it wasn't annoying. David really pulled it off. I thought the bit where her aunt dressing up as a policeman was good, it made me laugh! Another thing that made me happy about this book, was how David paused the story to give a bit of a backstory. He used it only a few times to tell the background of things, but it was a refreshing way of learning about the background of a character! I'm definitely going to read some more of David's books this year!
I thought this book was a little, not scary but shocking for a children's book. The book practically started off with death and very much ended with it as well, not very child-friendly if you ask me. I did enjoy it though, the characters were unique and the book made me crack a few smiles. It felt like I was reading a Roald Dahl book (or David was reading a Roald Dahl book to me, as I couldn't help but hear his voice!) I also pictured Charlie Bucket as "Soot" which linked in more and more of Dahl, not that that's a bad thing.
Although this book is four hundred pages, it was a quick and really funny read. I couldn't stop turning the pages, and it generally made me happy reading it. I did think it was slightly repetitive with Stella being caught by her aunt constantly, but it wasn't annoying. David really pulled it off. I thought the bit where her aunt dressing up as a policeman was good, it made me laugh! Another thing that made me happy about this book, was how David paused the story to give a bit of a backstory. He used it only a few times to tell the background of things, but it was a refreshing way of learning about the background of a character! I'm definitely going to read some more of David's books this year!